


ahead is the unknown.

by kaidoripropaganda



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Children of Characters, Developing Relationship, Fan Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Multi, Original Character(s), POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27218140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaidoripropaganda/pseuds/kaidoripropaganda
Summary: natsumi had heard of hopes peak academy from her parents but never expected to have her first day consist of being kidnapped and brought to another abandoned school with fifteen other ultimates who had been scouted. however, they now find themselves stuck in the midst of a killing game. [ au with some love children of the previous games. ]currently on: chapter one (deadly life, investigation).
Relationships: Amami Rantaro/Shinguji Korekiyo, Chabashira Tenko/Yumeno Himiko, Chou Koukou Kyuu no Sagishi | Ultimate Imposter/Mitarai Ryota, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Hinata Hajime/Soda Kazuichi, Iruma Miu/K1-B0, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto, Koizumi Mahiru/Saionji Hiyoko, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko/Pekoyama Peko, Mioda Ibuki/Tsumiki Mikan, Nidai Nekomaru/Owari Akane, Saihara Shuichi & Tojo Kirumi, Sonia Nevermind/Tanaka Gundham, the ships tagged signify the children and which ships have kids if that makes sense
Comments: 78
Kudos: 34





	1. prologue.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nothing but a cold floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't look at me I know I have fics to do but this was too good and too encouraged to pass up. I already know there's gonna be a ton of questions so I'm gonna say before this gets nice and settled that this au features v3 ships because I fully see that third game as a simulation and if you wanna know more thoughts please read my future foundation fic/one shots at "home where I wanted to go," because this takes place years and years after the first chapter of that so I suppose you could say the fics are connected but that's why there's no thh ships aside from naegiri because still dead unfortunately. 
> 
> the other thing: I personally think the 77th class especially wouldn't talk to their kids about that, especially when younger so I think some are suspicious but for this fic especially none of them besides a certain pair of kids know about their parents killing game life or their time as despairs. yes this is just basically an original killing game with love children of the ships TAGGED on the fic and it will be structured as such. hope you all enjoy

* * *

An envelope.

An envelope engraved with a few letters and a freshly waxed stamp.

Ȃ̷͓̲͍͓̰̳͉̮͈̅͋́̒͒̂͒̕n̴͔͈̪̎̏̏̄͠ ̴̮͍͚̽͊͆̀͊̉̈́͗͆̚ę̸̡̢̛̫̼͕̥̗̬̭͍̝̺͆͑͑̂͒̽͊̋̕͘̕ͅn̴̡͇̻̙͗͑̒̿͒͆͠v̷̮̲͓͎̈̄̊̂ė̸͔̜͕̤͙̗͓͙̒̅̍̏̉̆͛̋̈́̕̚̚l̴͓̣̝̈́̌̉̅́̒̽͗͋͗̓͂͘̕͝o̷̢͚̯͕̹̱̬͖̬̥̲͛͋͒͜͝͝p̵̘͇̀͆̆̿͝ë̶̢̡̩̹̱̻̳̹̦͎̜͖̈́̑̎̐̊̍̿͘͘̕

She remembers her parents staring down at the note with wide eyes, her mother instantly recognizing the golden stamp that had held the invitations encased within the envelope. Natsumi hears her mumble something to her father about how she was surprised the school had kept the same formalities since a man by the name of Makoto Naegi had become headmaster at the famed Hope's Peak Academy that still sat right in the middle of Tokyo.

_ “This again huh,” _ her father had mumbled bitterly as her mother smiled gently, putting an arm around his shoulders in an attempt to calm him down. She always seemed to know what to do to make him smile or calm better, it was a talent in it of itself.

_ “Let them see, I remember when we got our papers as well…” _

Her parents; two individuals who had been accepted into the academy at their age, her father always grinning when he explained why he was chosen. He was the head of the Kuzuryuu clan, still the largest criminal syndicate in their home country. Their mother was his longtime close friend and personal hitman, so skilled with a sword that she had gained the title as the ultimate swordswoman. 

They almost never spoke of that time, they said that the school wasn't all it was cracked up to be but Natsumi had always been suspicious; she had studied the tragedy in school and saw photos that always made her turn her head but when she asked, neither of her parents answered.

Both of them worked at the Future Foundation, at least that was what she had heard when eavesdropping on their conversations early in the day. Natsumi had looked up and done her research; it had been the organisation to try and rebuild Japan after all the events of the tragedy had taken place. 

They must have been secretive about their information as Natsumi found nothing about who worked there, no matter how much sleuthing she had attempted to do. Her brother was no help either, not interested in the ordeal. Her mother sometimes spoke of their classmates, still close with most according to her, their father would always brush it off.

_ “Geez honey, you don’t gotta tell em’ everything…” _

There was always an odd hint of worry when they discussed their past.

One person they had gotten to know was their “aunt” of sorts, Akane. 

According to her father, she was his closest friend during their time at the academy and had always been there even from the moment the both of them had been born. Her mother would nod, always thanking Akane for all she did though she would laugh and say that it was nothing for her “favourite couple.”

They knew nothing about her except she apparently worked for the same organisation and had been accepted into the academy as the ultimate gymnast; Isamu did his homework and found plenty of videos of her old routines, completely mesmerised.

_ “Well, have fun there, it was a pretty good time from what I remember!” _ Akane had told them.

That memory, that small capsule was all Natsumi had before she and her brother were right on the steps of Hope’s Peak Academy before everything had happened. 

Two hands had come up from behind her once they had opened their class door, a kick to the stomach in resistance as she yelled for her brother who was already two steps ahead; away and holding out the sword that their mother had taught him to use in emergencies like this, his talent as an ultimate fencer made it easier. 

He had been shot with something resembling a tranquilizing dart from what Natsumi had seen, screams of protest before she felt a small pinch and her vision became hazy. Those with masks surrounded her.

“What the hell is going on?!”

"Let's go, now," one yelled. 

Foggy.

Confused.

  
  


C̶̡̨̤̗̥̭̯̬̠̱̭͔͎̺͔̦͇̳̜̺̟̩̗͚͓͉̠̯̦̙̙̝͙̝̜̗͇͙̼͕̲͍͔̼̯͎̻̼̼͔̲̟̖̼͙̠̝̳̈́͑́̈̈́͌̈́͋͋̑̒̏̑̍̃̆̿̇̋͛̂̒͒̎̂̽̕͜͜͝͝ͅo̶̧̞̫͈̼̮̖͔̼̩̺̖̖̞͓͚̜͋̐̎̍̽̌́̿̓͌̽̾̀̈́̋̌́̎̊̚͜͠͠͠ͅn̴̳̫̂̍́̆̾͠f̶̧̡̨̛͉̩̘̹͔̮̩̹̤̞̙͔̼͇̫̪̓̔ư̵̢̡̧̧̧̢̼̲̮̱̯͉̦̬͍̙̖̞͕͈̮̘͕͚̞͈͙͈̥͙̲̣̙̤͕͓̙͎͍͈̻͖̟̼͓̳̳̦̦̘̪͚̼͇͇̼̠͓̺͍̰̓͆̈́͛͐̆̍̿͛͂̓̃̉̓̿̃͑̄̿̏͋́͆̓́̌̑̉̌̆̈́̉͌̅͗͛͗̓͗͆͒̊̽͆͌̉̈́̾̂̍͘͘͝͠͝͝͝͝͝ͅs̷̡̺͔̱̫̦̹̞̝͕͓̽͝ȩ̶̢̢̢̡̨̧̧̢̮̭͔̭̣͍̩͙͙͕͈̰̝̦̭̥͔͔̤̮̱̮̤̳̗̲̹̠̜̺̖̰̝͙̯͈̟̪̼̹̞͇͖̠̗̙̩̐̄̅͂̃̓̉̿͑̆̈́̍͑̂̐͐̇̈͆̈́͐̅͌̐͝͝͝ͅͅͅḑ̷̧̧̼͇͔̮̭̙̠̪̬̱̦̰͓̼̲̦͖̤̿̎̅̃̓̃͑̐̂͋̾̑̆͊̍͂͗̊̽̌͌͛̄̓̽̀̅͛̓̔̾̈̓̆̅̿͘̚͝͝ͅ.̴̢̡̨̡̛̠͕͍͔̺̜͎̬̭̝̞͈̘͉̫̱̰̻̪̺̩̖͎̝̭̬̫͕̞͚̤͎̫͚̭͙͚̱̒̒̏͗̾̎̄̒̈́̑̈́̆̋̄̓̈́̽̕̕̚̚̚̕͠ͅ.̸̳̺̞̜̘̝̲̙̪͊̇̅̅̓̑̓̌̂̿̾̃̓̽̒̾́̈́̇̃͆̿̿̎̓̕̕͠͝

  
  
  
Darkness; far less comforting than she expected.

She always complained about how loud people at her boarding school were, though her brother would comment she was just as boisterous much to her grumbling, perhaps she had taken more of her father’s gene pool than she thought. Isamu would chuckle and return to his work.

When she awoke she saw her brother beside her, a hand through his hair as he sighed in relief upon seeing her; the shorter woman running towards her sibling before she fell to the ground once more, weak and unable to make the distance. 

He winced, kneeling down beside her as they attempted to take in their surroundings. 

It was certainly some kind of school though Natsumi was not sure if it was the academy or not. If it was that wouldn’t make sense would it? Why would these people who dragged them to this location go through the trouble of drugging them just to have them in the same location?

“This is odd…”

“You’re telling me,” Natsumi grumbled, suddenly aware of the various, faint noises coming from behind them, the walls must have been frail and thin. The blonde gave a soft twirl of her head, curious as to who else might be trapped in this situation with them, or who was behind this more importantly.

Isamu must have sensed the anger boiling, his eyes closed as he grabbed his sister’s wrist.

“Don’t be reckless in a time like this,” he warned.

Natsumi scoffed, swatting him away as she walked beside him, an ear to the door as he kept an eye to make sure they were not being followed and that his younger sister could walk on her own stable as possible. Her hand wrapped around the handle as she pushed it open aggressively, beginning to grow worrisome with whatever was happening to them.

One moment they are attending the rebuilt Hope's Peak as new students and the next they are drugged and wake up in what seems to be the same or another school. 

Walking through the door they begin to piece together that this is indeed a different school, Isamu picking up key differences in the architecture as Natsumi had begun to realize that there was no sign of the famous crest that had embellished the school for decades. 

"Let's try and find someone else, no way they'd kidnap just the two of us," she mumbled as they strolled down the hallway, unable to be calm or melancholy during a time like this.

"The voices came from what I'm assuming is the first door we see since it was close to the wall."

Natsumi chuckled.

"Intuitive as always," she smirked, her brother sighed though she noticed the faint and soft smile had taken over his lips as they searched back and forth until they stumbled upon a red door. 

There was nothing special about it but it had been the closest thing to where they had just exited from. Fauna and vines seemed to be growing from every side of the building, it would be quite a picturesque scene without the circumstances to consider. 

Natsumi felt a chill run down her back.

"What an atmosphere," she commented anxious, a clear cockiness in her tone to disguise how terrified she was; she had yet to even think about what her parents would think of this whole going missing thing.

"Man, dad's totally gonna make some noise about this to the clan if we don't get out," she added to amuse herself even though her brother didn't laugh at the poor attempt of a joke.

There was a burst of laughter from the other side as Natsumi went to touch the handle, she immediately bounced back a few steps, nervous though her brother gave a firm nod, having her back.

"Here we go." 

A brief pause before Natsumi walked through the door, eyes on the floor before they lifted to see what seemed like two other people their age standing by idly in what looked to be a science lab.

Before either of the sibling pair could even make out any defining features of the teenagers beside them, one spoke up, adorned with short and seemingly soft, faintly green hair.

Their eyes filled with both a sense of welcoming and an overwhelming response full of suspension.

_ "Oh look, two more students to interrogate."  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you all enjoy and my tumblr is @pxkopxkoyama. comments always appreciated. see ya next chapter for introductions !


	2. I.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fourteen other students introduce themself as natsumi and isamu explore their unfamiliar surroundings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the fun part comes this chapter with the introductions of the other kiddos, i hope you all enjoy and I am excited to start the pain train soon; everything is all nice and planned out xx

* * *

Natsumi glared, crossing her arms, unamused by the whole ordeal. 

“Interrogate?”

The same man with light green hair chuckled, raising his hands that seemed to be covered with black leather gloves; he wore rings across his hand and wore something resembling a formal uniform though the black boots and chains hung around his pants made him seem a little less serious. 

“I’m just trying to joke around,” he added carefully, seeming weary of the two siblings which was not so shocking considering the giant sabre on the back of her brothers back, though it was wrapped in a protective case. “We’re all confused here, did you guys also get kidnapped?”

_This guy is pretty straight to the point huh?_

Natsumi cleared her throat, a lump growing as her brother nodded.

“We did, you two as well?” He asked, looking now at the woman sitting on the counter of one of the lab tables, her legs swinging back and forth as she flicked a piece of dust off of her purple tennis skirt. She seemed to have a far more cheery disposition which was odd considering they had all seemed to be kidnapped and taken to this odd location. 

“Yup, there’s others too, they all went around the school though,” she admitted as she jumped off, flattening her skirt as she adjusted her tights with a small sigh leaving her lips. “It’s not the shabbiest place,” she laughed. Natsumi frowned, even more confused now that it was confirmed there were more of them and all of them were probably their age. Were they being specifically targeted for a reason? They were all accepted as students to attend Hopes Peak weren’t they? It might be the thing to tie the loose ends together.

“Maybe so however, I don’t think any of us know why we are here correct?”

Isamu awaited a response though they all stood silent, the woman scratching the back of her head. It seemed to confirm his precious suspicions.

"Well, before all of this starts I believe an introduction is in order isn't it?" The man said as he extended a hand to Natsumi, awaiting for her to shake it though she looked far too nervous to do so.

"Agreed, we are all here to work together are we not?" Her brother interjected before the man from before gave a small smile, awaiting to introduce himself. 

"I am Shiori Amami, they know me as the Ultimate Vexillologist."

Natsumi tilted her head, "Vexi—huh?" She felt embarrassed to be so openly confused by the thing that had gotten him invited to the academy however she couldn't act cocky forever.

He smiled, his whole aura seemed calm, as if being with new people left him at ease. "Vexillologist, I study flags and their histories, their meanings, it's pretty boring," he joked though Natsumi blushed, not meaning to come off that way.

"No, no, I didn't—" 

"It is alright, I was simply teasing," he assured as he looked at Natsumi and her brother, curious as to what their talents could possibly entail. "May I ask about you both?" 

"I'm Natsumi Kuzuryuu, Ultimate Bodyguard." 

Her brother gently butt in, wanting to speak before either Shiori or the other unnamed women could interject. "I am her brother, Isamu, Ultimate Fencer." 

They both smiled, especially the women who gasped and clasped her hands together, seeming absolutely thrilled by the realization of Isamu's talent. "Another athletic student, that's great," she yelled, Natsumi confused as she put her hands on her hips.

"Who are you by the way?" 

She didn't intend to sound so impatient but the other woman didn't even blink, immediately jumping near her brother and letting her hands stay firmly planted on her hips as well.

"Names Honoka Nidai, the Ultimate Figure Skater is in your midst!" 

Natsumi chuckled, she certainly had a bright personality and physique of an athlete. 

Her clothes were equally as bright; nothing but lavender or light purple as she specifically wore a tennis skirt matched with what looked to be a training jacket and a cropped top paired with some casual sneakers, she looked comfortable.

"I've seen you on my television sometime, my mom and aunt watch you all the time at domestic competitions," Isamu admitted, beginning to admire the figure skater in front of them.

Honoka cackled, honoured by the comment as she took his hands in her own, Natsumi grumbled at the gesture; not very approving of others touching her brother all willy nilly. "Nice to meet you Honoka," she added as she stepped between the two.

"How many more students are there?" 

Honoka shrugged, unable to calculate properly though Shiori coughed, adding that there would be twelve more students for them to meet excluding himself and Honoka who they had just met.

"Any clue where to start?" 

Natsumi looked around clueless before Shiori suggested that they begin down the hall, apparently there was a gym nearby where they could begin. Honoka seemed excited at the prospect of a gym though Natsumi was still unaware of how this girl could be so happy with the current setting. 

"To the gym we go," she said aloud before Isamu brushed her off, admitting that he would catch up later with her, wanting to stay with Honoka and Shiori for a little bit.

The bodyguard groaned, frustrated though she knew that throwing a fit would only waste precious time in a situation like this.

"Fine stay back then."

After those parting words she walked out the door, letting it close behind her as she looked up and down the hallway. There were a few windows that led her to viewing some of the outside corridors. It seemed like a fully developed and decorated school for what it is. There weren't any odd cracks in the wall though there were those weird vines growing from the sides of the building she had seen earlier. Perhaps they were for aesthetics but it still made Natsumi wander about the specifications of their location.

_Why the fuck are we here?_

She sighed, a deep breath as she attempted to keep her eye on the prize, curious to meet the rest of the students who had been kidnapped and taken here for whatever reason.

"Man, mom and dad are gonna fucking flip," she whispered, flipping her blazer sleeves as she adjusted the buttons.

A three minute walk through the abandoned and eerily quiet hallway had led them to another door, the first of many that Natsumi assumed she would see today. This time it was a double door that when opened led to a spacious and almost empty gym besides one male sitting high up in the bleachers and another who seemed to be examining the features of the space.

“Can this place get any weirder?” She wondered aloud though she flinched upon hearing a response.

“We all got kidnapped didn’t we?”

The male beside her apologised, admitting shyly that it was nice to hear another voice around since they had all been stranded at this school with no explanation or exact reason why. Natsumi rolled her eyes though the man beside her seemed innocent enough. Strawberry blonde hair and sand coloured eyes to match his long pants though the most noticeable thing about him was the green, yellow and red colourblocked jacket he had on along with a basic white shirt. Natsumi glared curiously, trying to figure him out though he intervened, clearly not enjoying the attention being on him.

“No need to stare so long y’know!”

Natsumi scoffed.

“Says the guy dressed like a cartoon character,” she spat before he pointed at her, throwing back that he wasn’t dressed like some mafia boss at least. The daughter of the clan leader grinned ear to ear, taking it as a compliment. 

She grew tired of the silence.

“Natsumi Kuzuryuu, Ultimate Bodyguard.”

His palms grew sweaty at the realization of her talent, giving a small bow before she chuckled, amused by his lackluster confidence. “Mitsuaki Hinata, Ultimate Engineer at your service!” She hummed in response, satisfied by his introduction before she noticed another student, a girl, perched right at the top of the inside stainless steel bleachers.

She pointed at her though the woman in question was simply staring at the floor.

“Who’s the quiet one?”

Mitsuaki gasped, a smile appearing across his face as his eyes twinkled at mention of the girl. “That’s Shizuka,” he added nonchalantly before cupping his hands around his mouth, attempting to get the girl down to introduce herself. “Yo, Tanaka, we got someone else who wants to meet you!” he yelled loud enough for the statement to bounce off the walls.

The woman looked down, standing up as she examined Shizuka and Natsumi beneath her. 

“And just who needs to meet me?”

Despite the question she kept walking down until she was beside Mitsuaki who wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Natsumi had begun to pick up that they were either quite close or dating which would be just perfect with the mysterious settings. “Me, I just wanna meet everyone,” Natsumi asserted before the taller woman laughed.

“Very well.”

She cleared her throat, “Shizuka Tanaka, I am the Ultimate Museum Curator, bow down!”

Her attitude was the most apparent thing about her though the shoulder length, butterfly sleeve gothic inspired lace dress she had on was also quite a fashion statement. Natsumi certainly could admire how bold she was. Her hair was to her hips, all black aside from a single pale blonde streak as she noticed a purple ribbon in her hair tied into a bow.

“I’m not bowing to anyone but nice to meet you too.”

Shizuka nodded understandingly before she looked up at Mitsuaki who gave her a firm smile.

“What’s the deal here? How long have you two been a couple?”

They both burst into laughter, as if Natsumi’s teasing had been the funniest joke they had ever heard in their entire lifespan. “A relationship with her?!” The engineer asked before Shizuka shushed him gently, politely explaining that the two of them were simply childhood friends.

“Our parents have been friends since they attended school together, it is good to know there is one familiar face around while we attempt to piece together exactly why we are all gathered here.”

Natsumi nodded.

“Any ideas?” The engineer asked though both of the girls went silent, unaware of what to say at the moment. 

"Perhaps check outside as well? I am sure we are all trying to see if there is an escape," Shizuka suggested as Natsumi nodded, picking up her pace as she ran out the door, keeping a close eye for anyone else around. She had barely enough time as is to try and take in all of the school though she hoped in the back of her mind that she wouldn’t need to even do that, they would find a way out as soon as possible right?

_Right?_

Natsumi had been walking a few moments before she had stumbled near the entrance of the garden she had seen through the window Natsumi found another unfamiliar body standing near. He had blonde hair similar to her own, the boy squatting near one of the planets as if he was examining it.

"You busy?" 

The boy turned, cocking his brow as he looked up at Natsumi who crossed her arms once again, staring down the unfamiliar face, expecting him to speak though he turned back to the plant as if she was completely inferior. 

"Hey asshole, I was talking to you!" 

He turned to face her once more, his blue eyes examining her carefully as he finally let a small smirk appear across his face. "I heard you the first time y'know," he admitted with a slight bite in his voice.

"What? I gotta beg to hear your name or something?" Natsumi asked tired though he snickered, responding that he certainly wasn't opposed if it would keep her quiet.

"Takuma Iruma, Ultimate Toxicologist." 

"Natsumi, Bodyguard," she said, beginning to grow tired of saying the exact same thing over and over again. He gave a nod and turned back to the plants once again as the blonde stepped away and walked through the gates, their conversation clearly wasn't getting anywhere.

"Fucking tree hugger," she spat once she was out of his general vicinity. Natsumi had to admit she was certainly a bit jealous of how damn carefree he seemed about this whole thing, she was running around in circles trying to introduce herself as he was out staring at flowers.

The moment she stepped near the center of the courtyard she looked around every direction noticing about seven students scattered; she had certainly hit the place with the most people around.

_Perfect._

Natsumi turned, becoming completely caught off guard by the circular building that sat planted right in front of her; the entire thing seemed to be covered in stained glass windows and it's structure looked a lot more odd compared to the other seemingly modern buildings that made up the school.

"It's pretty cool right?" 

Natsumi yelled, almost falling to the ground before an arm stretched out and grabbed her, steading her back to her original standing position. She snapped her head, annoyed though she paused upon seeing the girl who had stopped her from falling face first.

Long, straight red hair and a cheerful expression across her face. Natsumi nodded, thanking her before she let go of her hand. "Thanks for the quick catch," she mumbled before noticing the girl wearing her olive coloured sports bra and leggings. Her arms covered with a thick black jacket as she held out a hand.

"I haven't met you yet but I am Riko Chabashira, the Ultimate Referee, it is nice to meet you!" 

_She seems decent enough…_

"So we've got a diplomat here, good to know." 

Natsumi felt quite overwhelmed by her staggering height, she seemed almost an entire foot taller than the bodyguard. She stared down sweetly, chuckling at the joke.

"You are a good sport! You are…?" 

"Right, Natsumi Kuzuryuu, your Ultimate Bodyguard." 

Riko gasped, grinning ear to ear as she listened to Natsumi. "You are also quite the loyal friend and family member I am guessing, what a formidable talent!" 

Uncomfortable, the blonde nodded though she had slowly begun to shift away, listening to Riko for a little bit longer before saying her peace and heading over to the other side of the courtyard noticing someone else standing by a statue near the other gate. They seemed interested in looking at the statue in front of them. Natsumi had no clue if this was some kind of actual artwork or just something oddly placed in the abandoned school however, she cleared her throat, attempting not to startle the person in front of her.

"Excuse me, I didn't see you there," they apologised quietly though Natsumi replied that they had nothing to be sorry for, they were just looking at the art after all. 

"Geez, another Ultimate? Are we all just Hopes Peaks students who got kidnapped and woke up in this weird, empty school?" 

The question seemed far more rhetorical however Natsumi shrugged, responding that she was just as confused and worried as they were about this whole thing. "Do you know anything about where we are?" She asked stupidly though they responded that they didn't and that their stomach hadn't stopped churning the entire morning they had woken up to go to Hopes Peak.

"Everything about today felt odd…" 

Natsumi nodded.

"I understand, I'm Natsumi by the way." 

"Kenji Mitari," they responded with a faint half smile of sorts, "Ultimate Sculptor, hence why I came here," they chuckled as they fixed the long, white jacket they had on. 

_They're the most normal person I've met so far, thank fuck for that._

Natsumi took comfort in the fact that someone else seemed to understand reality and the possible severity of this situation. "At least someone here is worried about what's going on." 

The sculptor dragged their finger across the button on their shirt as they spoke quietly. "Did you have parents who attended the academy?" They asked urgently.

Mouth agape, Natsumi seemed to communicate her response before even saying a word. Kenji sighed, "I knew it, everyone I've asked has said the same, it's like we, the kids, are being targeted for some reason and I don't know why!" 

Natsumi laid a hand on their shoulder, reassuring them that they were welcome to stay close by and that she would help them figure it out herself if needed.

"Once we all meet everyone we might get a clearer understanding," she added, straying away from her usual teasing and cocky confidence to her more rational side to try and help the classmate beside her.

"That's true…" they whispered.

"I got about six more students to go but you're welcome to tag along with me," she offered though they took a small step back and sat near the grass patch, seeming more comfortable to just stare at the art and sky. 

"Fair enough," she added aloud before walking away and towards what looked to be another individual building centered in the outside corridor. 

This entire school felt like a never-ending puzzle.

A few hundred feet away Natsumi had begun to hear conversation take place as two boys sat in the grass as another was writing something down in a small notepad. 

_"C'mon Hideki, cheer up, you know mom and dad are just fine and that this whole thing is some giant prank!"_

_"I don't think kidnapping us and taking us all to an empty school is exactly a good prank but for once I hope your stupid ideas are correct."_

_"Stupid?! I'm the smart one in this family!"_

Natsumi approached the small crowd as one immediately made eye contact with her, she felt an odd surge throughout her body. It was as if she had somehow already gotten off to the wrong foot with this person and they could almost sense it too.

His bright red hair shined in the daylight though his eyes seemed to tell a different story. Natsumi was confused as to how both of them felt such an odd energy around one another.

"Another ultimate huh?" One of the others jumped in, breaking the tension before they began to introduce themselves. The male beside her hips smiling wide as he ran a hand through his dark purple hair.

"Amuyu Momota! I'm the Ultimate Astrophysicist," he winked, holding up a thumbs up as he nudged his sibling to introduce themself right after.

"Hideki Momota, Ultimate Chess Player." 

_Brothers huh?_

Their personalities seemed like polar opposites but everything aside from their talents and clothing styles seemed identical. Hideki tapped his boots into the grass, awaiting for Natsumi to introduce herself to all four of them.

"Sorry for the wait, I'm Ayaka Mioda!" 

She explained that she was the Ultimate Sound Mixer and was very much into the "vibe" that Natsumi had going on currently though all the blonde was focused on was her sense of fashion and her long dark purple hair that had been tied into a bun.

"Thanks…"

The previous male with red hair looked at her before putting on a polite smile as he introduced himself as Takuya Koizumi. 

"I'm the Ultimate Journalist, I hope that we can get along nicely."

"Natsumi Kuzuryuu, Ultimate Bodyguard."

Amuyu stretched out his arms, a yawn leaving his lips as he admired Natsumi who was still standing in front of him. "We have a lot of badass women in our group, that's pretty cool if you ask me!" 

Hideki groaned, physically cringing at his siblings statement though Natsumi and Takuya could only shake their heads at the utter innocence and bluntness of this man who was apparently the Ultimate Astrophysicist by some stroke of lucky genes.

Natsumi hung around for a little while longer before spotting two more students on the other side of the grass, one examining the side of a building as the other looked at the clock above.

The moment that she had approached, still utterly silent, one gently perked their head up, not even making eye contact as she sniffed the air around them.

"Another student in our midst…"

"Well yeah, sorry to ruin your mood," Natsumi joked bitterly as one gave a faint chuckle in response. One of the women had long, thick lavender hair that seemed to go all the way down to her waist. The other, whom happened to be taller, had dark brown hair. It was to her shoulders though it stood with two long pieces beside each cheek.

They both seemed to have quite casual styles of clothing though the one with short hair wore what looked to be gauze around their left hand.

The girl with longer hair spoke first.

"I'm Mari Naegi, I'm the Ultimate Medical Examiner, the other one is my sister Kasumi."

Natsumi introduced herself for what she'd hope would be the final time as Kasumi glanced at her once before going back to her work, acting as if the bodyguard was completely invisible. She opened her mouth but the other woman replied almost the second that her lips had begun to move. 

"Kasumi Naegi, Forensic Scientist." 

_What a bullshit introduction._

Natsumi could already feel how badly this specific girl would get on her nerves. She had that stoic air about her that seemed utterly insufferable, she seemed like she was miserable to be around especially with a talent like Forensic Sciences.

"Was that enough to your liking for an introduction?" She asked.

The blonde gritted her teeth.

"Perfect," she muttered before turning her back and walking across the other gate and heading back towards the stairwell to find Isamu, assuming that she had found all the students to be introduced to.

She froze upon seeing another male silently sitting on the cold flight of stairs by himself as she began to walk up. He seemed completely riddled with fear and panic but unlike everyone else who probably felt the same, he showed it easily. 

He had light blue hair and dark eyes, his entire face was turned away and his body was covered by his long, formal navy pants, a white collared shirt and a large black jacket. 

Once Natsumi had come close enough he jumped, gripping the stair as to not fall off before the bodyguard made sure he was okay. He nodded her off, promising that he had simply not been paying too much attention and was in shock. "Sorry to scare you," she replied before awkwardly awaiting some kind of response though he seemed determined to stay locked away in the small shell he had made for himself. "I'm Natsumi, I'm the Ultimate Bodyguard, I'm assuming you're another student." 

He gripped his knees before sighing.

"I'm Hiroto Saihara, I don't exactly remember my talent at the moment but hopefully I'm not completely useless..."

_He doesn't remember? That's odd..._

"It's okay, we're all lost considering this madness that's going on," Natsumi replied, attempting to be nice as she could though she truly couldn't understand how someone could forget the talent that brought them to the academy in the first place.

The blonde had begun to offer a hand, asking if he would like to walk with her as to not be completely deserted on the stairwell though suddenly an odd chime had blasted throughout every corner of where they stood.

It was completely out of left field.

Suddenly, across from them, a monitor had turned on and the image of a glitching screen appeared though the audio seemed crisp and clear. Natsumi was shocked she hadn't noticed the presence of said monitors, she was a pretty lousy detective.

 _"Testing! Testing!"_ The voice rang out.

They stood dumbfounded.

"This is working? Wonderful. Students of Hopes Peak, please report to the gymnasium right at this very moment, it is urgent business!" 

Natsumi clenched her fists as the video turned off though it hadn't been clear to begin with. She began to feel stars dance across her vision, she wondered if the person who was speaking had been the one to have them all kidnapped and taken to this weird school.

"Let's go to the gym, might as well see what twisted bitch is trying to kidnap and put us in this situation," she grumbled as Hiroto nodded and stood, following Natsumi to the gymnasium.

The bodyguard felt her heart utterly pounding out of her chest the closer and closer she had approached the gymnasium door. Everything about today felt uncertain and like a nightmare she couldn't escape, being with other members of her, assumed, class only made everything twice as confusing.

_I will figure out who is behind this and why we're here, even if it kills me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is @pxkopxkoyama. comments are always appreciated ; special thanks to my writing family on discord who always cheer me on or have great things to say especially @jimblebird who knows when to send the best/worst reaction images xx


	3. II. (END)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nowhere to go and no way to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been a fast few uploads because she’s motivated for once, thank you to all the comments and support especially from my writing discord group who always clap or motivate me even more. a special thanks to akane maestro and my favourite person, @jimblebird on ao3, for editing and looking this over for me, ily more than the heart video.

* * *

The walk to the gym felt like it had lasted hours. It seemed as if Natsumi walked further and further each time she had gone back and forth. She was still completely unaware of where they were, what they had been kidnapped for, if they had truly been targeted like Kenji had theorised earlier. 

Natsumi opened the door, Hiroto straying behind though he seemed to pick up the pace once she had walked through the gymnasium. The blonde stood in the middle of the gym, staring down at her reflection in the newly cleaned and glossed wooden floor. Everyone had seemed to gather already, making Natsumi the straggler along with Hiroto beside her.

Making her way towards her brother, she squeezed through before grabbing his arm and holding on close, unable to comprehend anything besides the fact her sibling was at least beside her. It offered some form of comfort in a situation as tense as this.

“There you are,” he said, relieved that she had returned.

“Well yeah, you heard that announcement right?”

Isamu nodded, his eyes examining the gymnasium as he stood near his sister, letting her hold onto his arm a little while longer before they heard Honoka groan aloud. It caught the attention from the other fifteen students as she yelled about how useless this all felt.

“Who was calling us on the monitor?” She asked though nobody knew the answer. They had gathered like sheep in one place awaiting some kind of sign or signal though Natsumi had begun to feel her stomach rumble, as if this was a trap of sorts. Perhaps it was just the Yakuza intuition and worry growing in her but everything seemed far too suspicious.

“I was!”

_That voice…_

Natsumi turned, they all did; their heads turning every direction before the voice spoke again. It had to be the same one who had talked across all the monitors. It was a distinctly high and odd voice, as if it was something completely outside the whelm of this world.

“Look towards the stage, all of you spinning your head isn’t doing any good!”

Just as they all seemed to turn simultaneously, Natsumi watched as something popped out of the table, causing her to step back a little bit before she tilted her head, confused. “A fucking stuffed bear?” She said unamused as she looked at the half white, half black teddy bear that sat now perched up on the table. 

_This situation couldn’t get any weirder could it?_

“I am no stuffed bear, I am Monokuma!”

Isamu kept a hand aside the covered sabre he had on his back, ready to exploit any force necessary if this was truly some sick joke. Natsumi couldn't even take her eyes off the stuffed bear, though Shizuka stepped forward asking if they were behind their kidnapping.

“Me? Never! I am your headmaster!”

Natsumi’s face went white, she felt like she would've passed out if she didn't have her pride to consider. Mitsuaki stammered, questioning how a stuffed bear could not only talk but was supposed to be their headmaster. “You’re just a remote controlled bear, right?!”

Monokuma, as he was called, huffed.

“How annoying! Why do they always have the same reaction to me, I am not a stuffed bear, I am your headmaster!” He yelled, annoyed by the new group of meddling kids. Riko held her fists in front of her, already worried for everyone’s safety as she stared at their so-called headmaster.

“Then why were we kidnapped? Why were we taken from Hope's Peak?” 

“So many questions, already defensive! You’re just like one of your moms were!”

Riko’s eyes widened at the statement. She clutched her jacket, not able to understand how this stuffed bear knew anything about one of her moms. Monokuma continued, pouting and upset as he began to cover his eyes. 

“Why are you crying?” Amuyu yelled, growing annoyed just like the rest of them.

“All of this uproar and I haven’t even gotten to the entrance ceremony for you all!”

Natsumi looked up at her brother, confused though he kept his gaze directly focused on Monokuma, not believing any of his antics just yet, it all seemed too odd to be true.

"Entrance ceremony?" Natsumi asked.

Monokuma laughed, “That’s right! As another group of hopeful and talented students, you all deserve some praise for getting into Hope's Peak, don’t you?” Kenji shook their head, trembling though they yelled in response, unable to believe that this was just some regular commencement ceremony that was being laid out for them.

“You’re not even a human being and if it was a ceremony, why were we kidnapped and taken to this school?”

Kasumi nodded, agreeing with Kenji on the matter.

“If you truly were holding a commencement ceremony you wouldn’t have, or whoever is controlling you, took us to an entirely different place where you can keep a close eye on only a handful of us.”

Monokuma grew frustrated, lashing out in anger at Kasumi. “Geez, what a bunch of detectives we have in this year’s class!”

_Class…? So these are all my classmates?_

“Besides, my only goal is to have everyone living side by side in harmony...If you adhere to all my rules and the school’s policies of course!”

Natsumi raised her hand, impatient as she heard Monokuma finish his sentence. “Live together? Hold on, this bullshit has gone on long enough! What do you mean living ‘side by side’ here?” The blonde looked up at their newly appointed headmaster. Monokuma bounced off the table as he began to walk towards them.

Ayaka shivered, attempting to jump in Takuma’s arms though the toxicologist dropped her immediately, not expecting to be a crutch for the much taller woman who had been standing beside him. “It can move?!” The sound mixer screeched, completely and openly horrified at the mechanics of this stuffed bear.

Monokuma cackled, enjoying the madness as he held up a paw, “Now you can see how advanced my machinery is, I am completely indestructible so don’t even try to fight!” He warned as Takuma scoffed, still not believing a word he was saying. 

“When can we go home?” he asked angered, not expecting to hear that they would be forced to live together in a completely different area of Japan beside his fellow classmates. Monokuma stood silent for what seemed to be an entire minute, as if he did not wish to answer the question thrown at him.

Takuma groaned, repeating himself when Monokuma laughed once more.

“About that pesky thing, you will be living here with your chums until the day you die. There is no deadline!”

The moment those words had been said the entire class broke out into an assortment of reactions, though Natsumi had the loudest. A mere shout of the word “What?!” as everyone else followed, aside from the few who were so distraught they could not even move. Isamu looked down at his sister, unaware of what move to make as Monokuma cackled.

“That’s right! These are the rules we’ve put in place but don’t fear, we have lots of food and a good budget to last us until you all wither away.”

Natsumi felt her blood boil, this was not something to be spoken of so casually especially when they had been taken from their parents to a school in the middle of nowhere with likely no connection to the outside world.

“You’re lying right. This is some kind of prank?” Honoka asked, picking at her fingernails as Monokuma snapped at her, radiating nothing but pure rage as he spoke.

“I am not lying! A headmaster would never lie to his students! I am not screwing with you, I am just laying out the foundation for the rest of our time together,” he replied as Shiori questioned things about their location, if they were even still in Japan or if they had been drugged and woke up in a completely different country.

Monokuma shook his head, “Of course we’re still in Japan. I can’t afford plane tickets so easily in the school budget, y’know!”

Isamu finally spoke, “How do we know you are not tricking us?” He asked as Shiori attempted to find some kind of clue leading them to where they could possibly be trapped in.

“We are still somewhere in the same time zone. I was checking the clocks specifically to see if they would be any help, but I believe that Monokuma is telling the truth. There would be no reason to lie if their clocks have not been touched,” Kasumi added, confident in her findings. Natsumi had wanted to punch her earlier, but she certainly had good information despite being such a smartass.

Shiori nodded, kneeling as he looked at the symbol carved into the floor. “This is definitely Japan,” he mumbled as Mitsuaki asked how he could possibly be so sure. “The symbol carved in the floor; this is the flag used throughout Tokyo. You can see the three arcs combined to resemble a ginkgo leaf,” he explained, using his ultimate vexillologist talents to bring at least _some_ reassurance for the group. 

“So we’re still in Tokyo?”

Monokuma chuckled, Natsumi growing tired of that damn laugh. “That’s right, but you don’t have any contact with the outside world here, so don’t even think about trying to escape. Any violation of the rules leads to punishment!”

Natsumi cracked her fists, “Let’s go, you little piece of shit! It's you versus sixteen of us!”

Isamu held her back, an arm stretched in front of her chest as Monokuma sighed, “You really want to be in contact with the dirty outside world? Fine, fine, there is one way you can escape if you so wish!” 

They all looked around at one another, curious as to if they could _really_ leave somehow.

“Leave?” Takuya asked, hands on his hips as he scoffed and asked why hadn’t Monokuma just told them in the first place. “You didn’t need to hold that kind of information in y’know!” he bit back as the headmaster sighed, disappointed.

“You wanna know how to leave this bad? Fine, I will tell you. We call it the Graduation Clause,” Monokuma began as he looked towards the students who had seemed to barely move since his first appearance. “If one of you decides to disrupt the harmony of this school trip, then perhaps I will consider letting you leave!”

Taken aback, Natsumi shook her head. “Disrupting the harmony?”

“What do you mean by that?” Mari asked.

Monokuma grinned, “Easy! You murder one of your fellow classmates.”

Reality seemed to crash right in front of Natsumi, her head spinning as he said those seven words. 

_Murder…? We’re supposed to kill one another?_

Sure, Natsumi and Isamu had been born into a famed clan where they had been taught about killing and about the pressures of being a Yakuza at a young age, but that was never Natsumi’s style. She knew how to kill, but she was a bodyguard wasn’t she? Her whole mission was to defend others and only use force when necessary or when hired.

“Kill...kill each other?” Kenji mumbled under his breath.

Kasumi sighed, “This is sounding a little too familiar to what Mom told us about,” she spoke softly to her sister though Natsumi hung on to that statement, worried about what that possibly implied. “I thought the rebel groups had been knocked out according to Dad,” she added aloud though everyone was far too up in arms to even pay attention to her responses.

“Yessir! Whether you wanna stab, choke, poison, whatever goes as long as you kill someone then you are allowed to leave,” Monokuma said chipperly, excited at the prospect of his students attempting to kill one another. “This killing game has no rules as long as you murder and get away with it!” 

Mari spoke up, wondering about the logistics of this game, “What if we don’t commit a murder? Are we all simply stranded here until we do?”

Monokuma scoffed, “How boring! That doesn’t make an interesting story does it? You will all be stranded here until you die if you decide not to kill anyone, but I believe once this killing game will get started, the despair will certainly overtake any logical sense of reality you teenagers have left!”

Natsumi growled, turning to her brother though they couldn't do a thing except stand in the gymnasium utterly helpless. She had been kidnapped, woke up in a different school and was now trapped forever unless she tried to kill someone. 

_This isn’t real, this has to be a trick._

“Hold on,” Kasumi said just loud enough to overpower Monokuma and get his attention. “If we are truly expected to kill one another, then what is the catch? I don’t believe you are telling us everything we are supposed to know to get a clear picture.”

Monokuma seemed to have finally been struck clean of his games. He yelled, annoyed by Kasumi and her antics. “Fine, fine, you really are just like she was! You must kill someone but then you need to make it through the class trial without getting caught,” he admitted carefully.

“Class trial?” Hideki repeated, both intrigued by the concept and confused.

“That’s right! If one of you gets murdered then your fellow surviving classmates will hold a class trial to find out who did the crime! It is a showdown between the blackened and the shiny and spotless students. You present your arguments and then you will have an outcome decided by a popular vote,” he began, “If you reach the correct answer, then only the blackened will be punished! However, make the wrong answer, and the blackened gets to escape and you all will receive punishment!”

Natsumi felt her knees buckle beneath her, she wasn’t sure why she felt the utter need to collapse but she could certainly assume why. Isamu held her up, a firm grip on her shoulders as he spoke up, asking what exactly this _punishment_ he had entailed was.

“Since you asked so nicely, it’s an execution!”

Hiroto fell to the ground, unable to hear any more of this as Riko ran over to make sure he was alright. Mari spoke over the students and Monokuma’s amused laughter. “Punishment?”

“That’s right! My mind is already wandering wild with spine tingling punishment ideas for our new group of students! It is what gives these trials extra charm, you know? I have great attention to detail and you all should be thankful!”

Amuyu impulsively ran forward, grabbing Monokuma by the throat as he held him up for everyone to see. “Alright this whole deal is getting tired, tell us who’s behind all of this you damn stuffed animal!” Natsumi heard his brother yell to put him down, Mari joining the chorus of voices as the astrophysicist rolled his eyes. “What’s he gonna do to me?”

“You better listen to your classmates if you don’t wanna end up as food for the dogs, Mr. Momota! You cannot defy the headmaster!”

He threw him down on the floor, Monokuma scratching his forehead as he hit the ground with a thump. Hideki punched his brother in the back, worriedly shouting at him for being so rough and impulsive during a time like this. Monokuma got up, just barely to the height of Amuyu’s knees as his eye flashed a bright red light.

“You were wise to listen when I was being so forgiving, because otherwise…”

There was a slight pause before an army of large, metal spikes shot up from the ground around the empty space between Monokuma and Amuyu, the taller male falling backwards right into his brother and Riko, who gasped.

“Let me be perfectly clear with you all, you cannot defy your headmaster. Breaking any of the rules will result in immediate punishment, an instant execution if you will. Consider this your last warning for all of you! Absolutely no excuses!”

Natsumi nodded, dumbfounded.

“In addition to my rules, you all will be receiving your own personal e-Handbook! Had many left over from the last time but,” he chuckled before quickly finishing up, pointing to the box of seemingly clean and well kept modern tablets. They all headed over, quickly finding out that they were all engraved with their names depending on which one they grabbed.

Isamu grabbed Natsumi’s, handing it over to his sister as she watched it power on instantaneously. 

“Your e-Handbooks are your way to explore the school and keep track of any events and keep any records of the class trials and of your classmates! Make sure you read all the rules so you don’t end up in my next meal, aside from that you are free to do what you please but do not lose these tablets,” he repeated.

The screen lit up, though Natsumi couldn't even bear to look through it at the moment.

“Why am I even repeating myself? Haven’t your parents told you all about their experiences?”

Natsumi froze, thinking back to Kenji’s theory, how they had all been ultimates and how all of their parents had also attended the academy around this age. “Our parents?” Natsumi finally asked, more shocked than anything else though Mari shook her head.

“No, I thought mom was just lying to us, trying to scare us,” she whimpered though Kasumi scoffed, making some snarky comment about how hilarious it would be for their mother to lie about these previous killing games just to amuse them. “I-I didn’t think that she’d just tell us so honestly!” Mari yelled though Honoka paused.

“What do you know about my parents?” The figure skater scoffed as Monokuma laughed.

“Miss Honoka Nidai! Your mother was the Ultimate Gymnast. She always tried to defy my rules and made your father pay the price!” He cackled, Honoka shaking as she screamed in anger, not believing a word that had just come out of his mouth. “Don’t be angry at me, your father was the one who always tried to protect her even with her stupid ideas!”

Natsumi and Isamu turned to one another upon the realization that Honoka not only knew Akane, but she was her daughter. Why didn’t their own aunt ever tell them? How had they been kept apart for so long from one another without any idea? 

"You think I’m lying? All of your parents participated in my games. Every single one. Mari and Kasumi’s more than once even,” he laughed as the two sisters stood in silence, looking already well aware of that fact though Honoka’s head was beginning to explode from suspense. 

“How did my parents get married then? They’re real, they’re alive!” She yelled, losing her grip on reality as Takuya stood by, not accepting this either, attempting to explain that their parents would have told them about all of this if it was true. Monokuma sighed, impressed by how gullible and nervous these kids were.

“You think I am lying to my own students? You all will see the truth your parents didn’t tell you, because they have many secrets they were hiding, especially from the ones who had parents in the 77th class!” 

Natsumi glared at her brother, well aware that included their own parents.

“What do you mean by that?” Shizuka asked with a soft snarl.

“You will find out soon enough. It wouldn’t be fun if I gave you _all_ the answers, now would it?”

Monokuma sighed, “Now then, enjoy the time you have before you plummet into despair!”

Just as Natsumi opened her mouth, he vanished, as if it was some kind of magic trick. She covered her mouth, unaware of what to say though no one could even begin to fathom what had just happened. 

“Man, he’s totally bullshitting about our parents! How could they possibly have participated if we’re all here and alive!” Takuma yelled though Kasumi told him to lower his voice, that there was no need for yelling. 

“I don’t believe Monokuma was lying,” the forensic scientist admitted softly, rubbing her elbow as she adjusted the sleeves of her leather jacket. She was met with an outpour of yells and accusations, asking how she was so certain.

“How can you just believe that fucking bear!” Mitsuaki groaned.

Kasumi took a deep breath, an explanation already prepared.

“Do you know who the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy currently is?”

They all stood silent, embarrassed that they had no clue until Kenji spoke up, their voice soft. “It’s your father right? Makoto Naegi? He used to be a student before the tragedy struck,” they added as Kasumi smiled and nodded her head.

Natsumi laughed, “Oh so you two are the headmaster’s daughters? I’m sure you both got scouted fairly,” she spat as Mari shook her head, admitting that their father was not the scouting agent and manager, that their father simply took to running the school after their grandfather had passed away. Natsumi was even more annoyed now. Their entire lineage somehow belonged to that damn academy. 

“That still doesn’t answer how our parents could even be in a killing game!” Honoka yelled.

“My father and mother were survivors of the killing game broadcast worldwide.”

Ayaka gasped, “Broadcast? You mean they were watched?!”

Kasumi nodded, “Unlike your parents, mine were put in a killing game that was real life so those who died had stayed dead, and when our parents escaped, they came to a world that had been destroyed by the despairs and Junko Enoshima, who was long gone from the time we were all born.”

Natsumi had learned a little about Junko Enoshima, though her name was almost forbidden to mention throughout Japan.

“Wait so what about the rest of us…?” Honoka interjected, not wanting Monokuma’s words to be true, refusing to believe that her parents had hidden this entire life away from her. Kasumi eyed her up and down before turning away.

“I am not sure it is my business to state what I know about the other killing games your parents participated in.”

Natsumi punched the wall, earning a few shocked looks and a stare down from Kasumi. “Don’t play all nice and polite now, bitch. Tell us what you know. Who's to say you’re also not playing with us!?” She yelled, tired of waiting for the truth as Kasumi let out a humph.

“Very well.”

She began to explain that the killing games their parents had participated in were all simulations, that they had directly impacted their physical and mental state and existed as avatars while in the killing game, allowing for them all to wake up afterwards with a lot of psychological damage and even physical changes.

“Bullshit! You’re lying,” Takuma spouted.

“If you wish not to believe me that is your choice, however, I do not believe Monokuma will let us escape without showing us what happened to our own parents. We all know we have parents who were ultimates at one point or another.”

Isamu looked at his sister, doubtful that their parents had hid that from them, though they had been taught how to lie and how to keep secrets from an early age, being children of the heir and leader of the Kuzuryuu clan. 

_Maybe this really isn’t a dream...Maybe Monokuma isn’t lying to us after all._

Riko broke the ice, admitting that they should probably try and explore where their dorms were and what the school had around so they could begin to familiarize themselves. Mari agreed as the rest began to reluctantly do so out of sheer will. “We’ve seen enough for the day,” the referee admitted.

Natsumi held her e-Handbook close, far too distracted to even take a closer look at it. 

All of her classmates seemed to look at each other, as if they were all studying one another. Natsumi could not blame them, if they were truly stuck here until someone had the sheer will to kill, then it was at least understandable to consider the option. 

Killing was the only way out, the only way to see if their parents were okay, to see if this whole thing was just a facade, to see who exactly was behind this facade. Natsumi could not just sit idly by, full of calmness or on the opposite end of the spectrum, full of anxiety. 

This was the real world, wasn’t it?

Whoever was pulling the strings knew exactly what they’re doing and what is supposed to happen, what will tick someone off until the goal of the killing game starts, as Monokuma wanted. The thought made Natsumi shiver but she had to size up who could possibly hurt someone.

In the back of her head, she knew the answer would be all of them.

Anyone was capable of killing, the hard part would be with the trial, with trusting one another.

This was the day everyone’s life had changed for the worse. 

This was the day when despair had begun to ride into overdrive.

_My life will never be the same after this._

* * *

**_Surviving Students: 16_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is @pxkopxkoyama as always and comments are much appreciated. the game has officially begun !!


	4. chapter one: despair is the way of the land (daily life) I.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rules, a bed and some new observations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the cool comments, I look forward to this really starting this story and getting to the real danganronpa stuff lmao. shout out to the discord we have for always motivating me and making the pain train real xx 
> 
> thank you to my sweet ol’ @jimblebird for editing and checking this over for me and being the best supporter possible.

* * *

It had been a long walk to the dorms that Takuma had discovered on the third floor of the main building. Natsumi had yet to gather enough willpower to even look at anything besides her own feet and her older brother occasionally, let alone the e-Handbook that seemed determined to buzz and beep at every moment. 

The suggestion to rest for the night had fallen heavy to all their ears after the absolute insanity that had been caused by the realization that their lives had not only been changed forever, but also from the apparent secrets all of their parents had been hiding. 

The idea that both her mother and father had participated in a killing game and had hid it from her and Isamu for so long stayed right at the back of her head, a never ending cycle of thoughts and theories circling. She shook her head, beginning to stray to the back of the clump they had built from walking beside one another. 

_ I can’t just believe everything a stuffed bear said. Maybe that science bitch is just saying all that to fuck with us… _

Natsumi had begun to speculate before she felt a tap on her shoulder, Kenji giving a faint wave as she smiled politely at the ultimate sculptor who mentioned that they had seen her dorm next to their own. “You can follow me, unless you wanna explore the school,” they added, though the blonde chuckled.

“Fuck no, think I’m gonna retire for the day.”

Kenji sighed in relief, glad to have someone nearby as the two walked towards the dorms. “They even have our photos,” they added. 

Natsumi observed the photos of them on the door with a shiver, not liking how organised this entire killing game was. Everything had crumbled to pieces after the ceremony and everyone seemed to be on edge, understandably so. 

Natsumi wished goodnight to Kenji, looking around, attempting to find her brother though she couldn’t find him anywhere near her eyesight. A few minutes passed before the bodyguard finally entered the dorm, locking the door just to be safe as Natsumi looked around her personal corridors. 

The room was spacious and seemed to have its own personal bathroom and what looked to be a giant monitor aside the bed. Everything looked neat and tidy, surprisingly clean and well maintained. There was a lot of effort put into these dorms which made no sense to Natsumi. She could just stay inside her room the entire killing game with no problem, right? 

It wouldn’t be the smartest idea, but it was at least a concept. 

Entering the bathroom, she noticed a nice, large shower as well as a standard sink and toilet. Around the room were soap or hygiene products in a small basket as well as something else, a card it seemed. Weirded out, Natsumi picked up the card as she read it aloud to herself, noticing that it had been signed by Monokuma. 

_ Enjoy the extra goodies. Anything to make life a little normal!  _

_ Also included, some rope and some razors, both perfect ways to murder; just a few pulls or slashes will do kids!  _

_ From your headmaster, Monokuma.  _

Natsumi felt her hands shaking. Instinctively she dug through the basket, throwing the items in the garbage as she ripped up the note, not wanting to even think about the possibility of murdering one of her fellow classmates. Any of them could kill, she was well aware of that. But they all wanted to get out, didn’t they?

“I refuse to believe this,” she mumbled, out of breath as she collapsed on her bed after closing the bathroom door. 

_ I can’t kill anyone but I can’t just sit here and die either… _

_ There has to be another way out. _

She felt something beneath her blazer as she laid down, immediately turning as she realized that she had just thrown her e-Handbook on the bed without much thought. Natsumi groaned, turning it on with annoyance. She knew she needed to check the rules, however, it certainly dampened her mood to do so.

The e-Handbook flashed, a few tabs appearing before she clicked on the “Rules” tab, being greeted with a bright red screen and a small pixel of their headmaster, Monokuma, as she silently looked at the rules that they would all need to follow.

* * *

**_Rule #1: The lead teacher cannot directly interfere with the students. An exception to this rule is made if any student violates a rule._ **

**_Rule #2: Once a murder takes place, a class trial will begin shortly thereafter. Participation is mandatory for all surviving students._ **

**_Rule #3: If the blackened is exposed during the class trial, they alone will be executed._ **

**_Rule #4: If the blackened is not exposed, the remaining students will be executed._ **

**_Rule #5: As a reward, the surviving blackened will be forgiven of their crime and allowed to leave the island._ **

**_Rule #6: The Body Discovery Announcement will play as soon as three or more people discover a body for the first time._ **

**_Rule #7: Destroying any property of this island without permission is expressly prohibited. This includes the surveillance cameras and monitors._ **

**_Rule #8: You are free to investigate this school at your own discretion. Your actions in this regard are not limited._ **

**_Rule #9: The cafeteria and gym facilities are strictly forbidden after midnight._ **

**_Last Rule: Additional School Trip Rules may be added at the headmaster's discretion._ **

* * *

Frustrated, the blonde groaned aloud, desperately wanting to scream in her pillows though she turned on her side, examining the rest of her e-Handbook, noticing the “Report Card” section. It seemed to be just basic information on her classmates, nothing too exciting, though Natsumi took offense to the fact all of their heights and weights had been added.

_ No one needs to know that I’m 63 inches, damn it. _

An hour passed as she mindlessly explored every corner and nook of the tablet before she threw it on the bed once again. She wondered what her brother was doing, if he was taking this any better than she was. He was always far more passive than her. Even as children, he seemed to always be the calm and collected part of the family. 

He was much more like their mother in that sense, while their father was always far too embarrassed to say openly that Natsumi had definitely taken the sharp tongue and attitude from her father’s side of the gene pool. 

She thought about her family, about how they were doing and if they were concerned and maybe even looking for her. They couldn’t just never see their parents again. This trip would need to come to an end somehow.

Determined, Natsumi stayed up for a little while longer, looking at the fan spinning on the ceiling of her dorm as she began to exhaust options for an exit or escape plan she could possibly share with the group tomorrow. They all seemed intent to stay together, which made it easy to communicate at the very least.

She had not noticed when her eyes began to close slowly, darkness engulfing her. For once it was comforting, unlike the first time when she and her brother had been drugged and taken to this damn school. Sleeping was the one thing that remained constant in this new environment, and for once she was glad to be in bed.

The night came, and soon Natsumi was sleeping peacefully, welcoming the quiet.

* * * 

Natsumi wasn’t sure what time she had woken up, but it had been just enough hours for her to yawn, outstretching her arms as she got up and searched for the clock in her room. With eyes still blurry, she noticed the small clock above her bedside that read as nine in the morning.

“Damn, not too bad I guess,” she mumbled. 

Getting up, she led herself to the restroom as she decided to take a shower. Anything to make life seem just a little more normal, even if she knew that this would be just about the only normal thing for however long this entire game lasted.

She rushed to brush her teeth and get organised, wanting to find wherever her brother and the rest of her classmates had gathered to. Natsumi assumed the cafeteria, considering it was still early in the morning and they were apparently being provided with food.

Putting on her blazer she rushed for the door, leaving her e-Handbook behind.

“Hey, you coming to the cafeteria?” 

The voice caught her off guard, jumping backwards as she turned to the source of laughter. She rolled her eyes seeing it was just Shiori beside her. The vexillologist smiled, apologising for freaking her out, though Natsumi scoffed trying to hide the fact she had been spooked.

“Just on edge is all,” she admitted before nodding and saying she was headed over as well.

“May I walk over with you?”

“No need to be so formal, you’re allowed to walk with me.”

Shiori chuckled, admitting he was a bit intimidated by the bodyguard which caught Natsumi off guard. “Scared of me?” she felt her ego grow a little bit by the comment though the suggestion of people being frightened by her probably wouldn't serve her too well in an environment where they needed to trust one another. 

“I know I’m the daughter of a yakuza, but don’t get all wimpy. Not gonna hurt you flag boy.”

“I was simply sharing is all,” he replied, hands in his pocket as he shook his head. Natsumi noticed up close just how dense and voluminous his mint green hair was. It looked and probably felt like a cloud. She was certainly curious to pet it, though she wasn’t sure how well she could phrase the question to someone who was still a complete stranger to her.

The cafeteria had been a five minute walk for the both of them, walking side by side in utter silence aside from the sounds of their footsteps. 

Shiori held the door open for her, Natsumi giving a firm nod to thank him as she noticed her brother sitting beside Honoka and Kenji, all three eating as they spoke amongst themselves. 

As expected, it seemed everyone aside from Kasumi, unsurprisingly, had gathered inside.

"There she is!” Honoka yelled, hand covering her mouth full of food as Isamu turned and gave a relieved smile. Natsumi skipped over, passing by as she sat beside her brother. Her heart had begun to slow it's pace, finding calm in the fact she had her sibling beside her. 

"Did I miss anything?" She asked doubtfully.

All of them shook their heads as Isamu took another sip of water, offering his sister a pastry from his plate as she thanked him. "You missed Takuma checking all the food," Honoka giggled. 

Natsumi looked curiously at their toxicologist who sat far down from them, looking at a journal and writing.

"Well, that is his talent, he was just checking to make sure it wasn't poisoned," Isamu added though Honoka groaned, selfishly admitting that she was starving and someone taking half an hour to inspect all of the food didn't sit very well with her deprived stomach.

"How nice of him," Natsumi responded sarcastically. 

She ate her muffin in peace, not intruding upon the conversation Isamu and Kenji were having about all of the rules in the e-Handbook. Her eyes had gazed at Honoka for a brief moment before she felt herself grow red in the face, suddenly remembering the piece of her they had found out about yesterday.

Perhaps it was personal, but it was worth a shot to ask. 

"Hey, skater," she spoke up.

Honoka looked up from her plate, staring at Natsumi with curious eyes as the bodyguard swallowed a breath, not sure why she was so nervous to ask her about something so simple.

"So your mom… That's Akane Owari, right?" 

Isamu and Kenji paused whatever they were talking about to look at the figure skater, who nodded and smiled. She seemed very proud of her mother and her talents, which made sense considering how hand in hand gymnastics and figure skating would be.

"That's our aunt..." Natsumi bluntly stated as she looked up at her brother for some kind of back up as Honoka chuckled.

"I know, your brother and I spoke about it just now," she replied, shoveling more food into her mouth as she added that she truly didn't have a good idea as to why her mother and father had hid her away from them. “She never told me about you guys. Shocked she didn’t.”

"I'm starting to think what Kasumi and Monokuma told us was true," Kenji added as they brushed a hand through their hair. Natsumi felt her stomach drop at the realisation however, there was truly no other plausible solution.

"It just makes no sense!" Honoka yelled, frustrated as to why their parents would ever hide this part of life from them for so long. "My dad, he tells me everything. He always talks about his life! "Why would him and mom keep this from me? How come we never met before this situation, y'know? So many questions," she whispered before finishing up her plate, Natsumi staying silent on the matter. 

“I miss my parents,” Kenji finally added with a frown across their face. 

Isamu sighed, “I believe we all do. I would hope at least.”

The door opened to the cafeteria, catching all the students off guard before Natsumi rolled her eyes upon seeing it was simply Kasumi strolling in at whatever time she felt so inclined to. “Nice of you to show up,” the bodyguard commented as the forensic scientist shrugged.

“I didn’t know we had a set schedule in place. Apologies for worrying you,” she replied with an arrogance and quiet tone that screamed how above in life she felt compared to them. Natsumi got up before Isamu tugged at her blazer, telling her to sit down.

“Don’t even think about it,” he added before Natsumi heard Amuyu chuckling to Takuya about how her and Kasumi would definitely get into some kind of fist fight at some point. Kasumi must have had excellent hearing, as she sat beside them and commented that she would never get into a brawl when it came to a situation of this caliber.

“I am not someone bothered by trivial remarks and impatience from others.”

“I don’t want to kill but I’m also not willing to have everyone just sit and die in here, we need to think about this carefully and look for an alternative!” Mari sounded far more cheerful and hopeful compared to Kasumi, who coldly added that there likely was no other way out.

Takuma leaned back in his chair, legs on the table before Kasumi knocked them off, asking him not to be so impolite. “The lavender chick is right. I went around last night to see if there were any loose screws, but we’re definitely trapped in this school,” the boy replied.

Shizuka put her hand on Mitsuaki’s shoulders, showing off the engineer with pride. “He can certainly help in some capacity, can he not?” She stated, eyes bright as she spoke of him in such a positive light. 

“Geez,” he blushed, turning to cough and cover his growing red face from the rest of them.

Takuma shook his head, “Your boy toy here probably can’t do much. This isn’t a normal school,” he replied as Mitsuaki gasped offended, asking what exactly Takuma meant by calling him a boy toy. The blonde shook his head, cackling as Shizuka cocked a brow, confused as to what she had said to accuse him of such a thing.

“You guys really are hopeless.”

Honoka laughed, “Well, you’re certainly not spreading any team spirit! We need to all work together and stay close to avoid this from happening. There has to be some kind of weak point in this game,” she added as Riko agreed, hands clasped as she admired the figure skater’s positivity and willingness to help.

“Honoka is right! We need to see who is the mastermind behind this!” The referee added before Ayaka smiled, joining the chorus of students who were on board with staying together and disobeying the killing game concept. 

Hiroto, who had been silent and sitting at the furthest corner of the table spoke up, agreeing with the girls on this one. “The least we can do is learn to become friends,” the boy replied as Riko and Honoka cheered him on.

“That’s the spirit!”

Kasumi sighed, “Wonderful, we have a plan and such. However, we do not know what Monokuma will pull if we do not start this game.” 

As if he had been summoned, the bear appeared in the middle of the table. 

“What the fuck!” Amuyu shouted, falling backwards in his chair as Ayaka screamed, once again jumping on Takuma who groaned, not liking this pattern though this time he held on. The sound mixer pointed towards Monokuma, who was already laughing in front of his students.

Natsumi shook her head, “Not you again…”

Monokuma gasped, “Am I not welcome? Am I spoilering some kind of secret discussion about an impossible escape perhaps?!” They all looked at one another, not saying a word as the headmaster continued his spiel. “I am always watching. That is something you do not understand yet, but do not try to defy me!” he yelled. 

“Do you watch us through the monitors?” Kasumi asked, curious.

“Yes ma’am! Every movement and everything you say is exclusively monitored by moi. I only really care when you’re being murdered or trying to plot against me though!” 

Ayaka spoke up, now out of Takuma’s arms, “So about those bathrooms…?”

“I am not invading your privacy. I obey the rules like any other headmaster does!” He swore. For once Natsumi was grateful towards his consideration and rules, otherwise she probably would have boycotted using the bathroom.

_ Well, at least we have some privacy here… _

“Monokuma, may I ask a question?” Isamu asked.

“Finally, some respect for your teacher. All of you should be taking lessons from Mr. Kuzuryuu!”

Isamu cringed, Natsumi scoffing as he asked about the e-Handbook. “Are these things able to break?” 

Monokuma sighed, “Yes, they have gotten stronger. However they aren’t resistant to heat. If you leave it too long in the oven or in a fire it will begin to chip. So if you’re planning to kill, don’t be stupid like others had been and leave it in the sauna for example!”

Just as Natsumi opened her mouth, the stuffed bear disappeared. 

“Man, this just gets weirder and weirder,” Amuyu commented as they all began to gradually pick up their mess and empty plates of food that had gathered around the table. Natsumi had stood up before Isamu grabbed her plate, telling her not to even get up.

Sometimes her brother’s overbearing polite nature was welcome, and this could be considered one of those instances. She leaned back, Honoka finishing up yet another plate of food as she spoke to Kenji about exploring the perimeters of the school a little further. 

“You wanna come with, Tsumi?” 

Impressed she had already been given a nickname she shook her head, insighting that she wanted to be alone for a bit. Honoka nodded, not at all offended by Natsumi’s decline at her offer. “That’s fine! We can hang another time. You ready, Kenji?”

The sculptor nodded, “Ready,” they mumbled under their breath as Honoka sprinted out the door, full of energy though Kenji groaned, forcing themself to try and play catch up with the far faster figure skater who was probably already halfway down the hall. 

Left alone, Natsumi finally got up as her brother came over asking what she was going to do now.

“Not really sure. Maybe I will see what's around...Might as well know where we’re gonna spend our time.”

Isamu sighed, gripping the strap that held his sabre with force. “What would mom and dad do?” Natsumi chuckled, not exactly knowing how to answer that question with conviction. 

“I don’t know. Dad would cause a scene, and mom would probably tell him to calm down,” they both laughed, the weight of their parents suddenly falling on their shoulders as they reminisced about them with one another. 

“I think I’m gonna go with Honoka and Kenji to explore,” Isamu finally said. Natsumi raised a brow, grinning as she flashed a suggestive wink at her brother, nudging him on and on about if he had the hots for Honoka. “No, I do not,” he muttered, growing more and more flustered by the accusation. 

“Nothing wrong with it. She’s cute and athletic, just your type.”

Isamu sighed, wishing his sister farewell as he left to catch up with the other pair that had left a little while ago. Natsumi looked around, finding no one nearby except one person who sat alone, reading a book.

The bodyguard turned the other way, realizing that this was the same man who she had stared down yesterday. Something about him had left her breathless and she wasn’t exactly sure why. It was as if he was someone who she already knew or someone she shouldn’t get close to.

Natsumi felt her palms become sweaty.

“Whatcha readin’,” she asked with a hum as the redhead looked up, giving a surprised look before his posture stiffened at her comment. He showed her the cover, admitting that it was just a book about photography. 

“One of my parents was the Ultimate Photographer, so I guess I picked up her hair  _ and _ her habits,” he joked with a slight pang of anxiety. Natsumi chuckled, noticing his shoulders relax once she had cracked up at his comment. “Lingering around, I see,” he commented, his eyes flowing back to the page.

“Says the one reading during a time like this.”

Takuya closed the book, turning to Natsumi who looked at him curious as to what he was about to do next. Natsumi swung her legs back and forth, fixing her skirt as he sighed aloud, both of them simply taking in the silence.

“Sometimes reading is necessary when you’re stressed,” he finally admitted.

Natsumi dropped her head in her hands, looking up at him once he began to speak.

“I’m a journalist, so I know the power words have. Sometimes when I want a break from harsh reality from the reporting I have to do, I just read books about fantasies or just things like a camera,” he waved around his book to show her the cover. “It’s not very interesting, but it doesn’t have to be. It is better than thinking about the killing game.”

“Damn, deep explanation. I just thought you were a dork,” she laughed, though his expression didn’t change. 

“Even if I am, that’s my job. It’s why I was accepted, wasn’t it?”

Natsumi rubbed her elbows, nodding in agreement, praying that he wasn’t about to lecture her on Hope's Peak or how every talent was important to each individual person no matter how ridiculous it seemed. “I won’t bore you with the talent rant, but I can tell you’re someone who is blunt,” he hummed.

“Have to be. I’m a bodyguard and a Yakuza’s daughter.”

Takuya exhaled, “I understand. It’s a family thing. My other mom, she was a traditional dancer, and her entire family tree was all about it. She was the heiress of the family, probably like your parents concerning the clan and such.” 

Natsumi smiled, thinking back to her father though she attempted to stay focused on what Takuya was trying to explain. “My mom, well, the dancer mom,” they both laughed. “She had a huge attitude problem as a teenager, she always felt stressed so she hid it with her remarks.”

“Sounds familiar,” she scoffed, thinking about her own father. 

“I always think about her, hearing you speak so openly,” he finally said.

Natsumi shrugged, not sure if the comparison was offensive or an honour. But he did talk about his parents with adoration...“She sounds like a strong woman, so I will take that as a compliment.”

“You should. Just watch what you say around Monokuma.”

The bodyguard chuckled, watching him stand up and extend a hand to her. “Let’s go. I’m determined to get you out of here, plus it’s starting to smell too.”

Natsumi gave up, taking his hand softly. “Fine...You’ve convinced me, redhead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you all enjoyed, tumblr is @pxkopxkoyama and comments are much appreciated. love seeing the theories people have for killers and such!! <3


	5. chapter one: despair is the way of the land (daily life) II.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the first motive is introduced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, hello, thank you guys for the comments and kudos it is much appreciated xx the updates are very fast now because I am really trying to test myself here and make sure I don’t just give up on the story but once this chapter really starts the updates will be every six or seven days. 
> 
> thank you to the sweet old @jimblebird for editing and looking this over as always, I love you so much and you all need to read her writing if you have not already because this shit hits.

* * *

The day had finally begun to wind down. 

Natsumi had spent the day looking at every corner and inch of the school with Takuya. The two of them enjoyed the time they had with one another, even if looking throughout their location had been a bit odd. They had yet to find any real indications of where they were being trapped in a school. Takuya had noticed the odd logistics of their environment, how there was an outside area and gardens, but then the entire perimeters were covered in reflective glass, as to not properly reveal any insights of the outside world.

 _“So we really are trapped,”_ the blonde had muttered, tense.

The journalist beside her had chuckled, teasing her for just noticing though Natsumi had wanted nothing more in that moment than to hug her parents. Sure, there were times her mother would be overbearing and moments when her father would bicker with them, but they were truly the best parents that Isamu and Natsumi could ask for considering the environment they grew up in.

_How could they possibly hide something from us this long…?_

The questions had lingered for a long time even after Takuya had escorted her back to her room, much to Natsumi’s dismay, responding that she was the ultimate bodyguard and could surely defend herself in the worst case. The journalist didn’t budge, admitting that his mothers had taught him to always make sure that his friends were escorted home safely.

“In this circumstance even more so,” he added.

Wishing each other a goodnight, Natsumi closed the door behind her with a thud. She collapsed on top of the bed, happy that it was at least somewhat comfortable. She fell asleep once again, thinking about nothing more than the safety of her brother and how her parents were reacting to the sudden disappearance of both of their children. 

Isamu had at least been here to help her through this entire journey. He had always been the passive one, the person who could make her smile and feel better even when she had her moments of blown up anger and screaming. She knew all too well that he cared about nothing more than his own sister. Even as children, they seemed to stick like glue to one another-especially Isamu, who had more trouble when trying to interact with others and preferred training to human contact.

Their mother sometimes joked about how directly of copies they had turned out to be of each parent. Natsumi looked like her father and had his temper, while Isamu looked like his mother and shared her energy.

Isamu however, preferred the inside just like her father but Natsumi and her mother had often been the ones to go outside and play. Isamu would watch their father work and do official business from the small seat inside his office.

All these memories slowly began to fade as Natsumi felt a wave of calm rush over her, thankful that she was still able to rest in these conditions.

Darkness fell over her eyes, welcoming her to finally fall asleep.

* * *

It had been another night of sleep as Natsumi felt her eyelids slowly open.

Seven in the morning was approaching and that could only mean one thing.

The dings of the student’s new morning alarm blared through the monitor, making Natsumi throw her pillow right at the screen, eyes not even halfway open as she saw pixels of a flash; knowing it was Monokuma and his usual, annoying, morning announcement.

_“Good morning everyone! It is now seven in the morning and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine and get ready to greet another beautiful day!”_

Natsumi groaned, these announcements reminding her of the harsh reality that she was currently living and breathing.

Forcing herself to stand, she walked to the restroom, getting ready to do her daily routine once more as she looked at herself in the mirror; attempting to remind herself to wash her hair later on in the day if time so called for it.

Twenty minutes was all she needed before she was headed out the door, back to the cafeteria, which had become somewhat of the daily meeting space for all of her classmates to gather. Aside from eating, it seemed to be the one place that was comfortable enough to speak to everyone.

It was the third day since they had been kidnapped and taken to this school, and still not a word about killing had been spread. Natsumi had begun to grow nervous, knowing all too well that the tension would eventually make someone snap and commit a murder, kickstarting the game just as Monokuma wanted.

Helpless, Natsumi walked through the entrance, spotting her brother sitting aside Honoka and Kenji once again. The four had grown accustomed to this seating arrangement though Honoka, being a sociable athlete, sometimes yelled to others from across her seat.She could certainly project her voice quite loud and relatively far.

"Morning, Tsumi!" 

The bodyguard huffed, still not very used to the nickname she had received though it was certainly cute. "Morning," she responded as she took the seat beside her brother, who had already been working on what looked to be his second cup of tea.

There was a loud cough from the other direction of the cafeteria, causing Natsumi to turn towards the voice as Hideki waved his hand and sat on the table so that everyone could see him.

"Can we all talk for a second?" The chess player asked.

Everyone nodded and huddled closer as he began to speak.

"Listen, it's been what? Three days since this bullshit started and we still haven't had a single murder, I'm worried about this track we're on…" 

Shizuka placed her hands under her chin, folding them. "And what exactly is wrong with that?" She asked, curious as to where exactly he was going with this conversation.

"I understand," Kasumi began, Natsumi already rolling her eyes and mocking her before her brother hit her shoulder. "He is saying that if we do not play the game then Monokuma will likely make us in some way. This is in fact just a game to him." 

"Exactly," the chess player breathed out, thankful that she had commented on the matter.

Ayaka frowned, her hands wrapped around Takuma's arm without much resistance. "What are we supposed to do?! I refuse to kill someone just to make Monokuma happy!”

"We can't do anything. That is where the problem lies," Kasumi added as Mari scrolled through her e-Handbook aimlessly. 

Suddenly, the monitors powered on around them, as if it was some kind of strange omen. Natsumi heard Kenji mumble something under their breath before they dropped their head on the table. 

“Ahem, attention students,” Monokuma began, holding a drink as he continued, “Gather in the gymnasium in exactly ten minutes for a special announcement, all of you are required to be there so don’t even think about skipping!”

The monitors stopped as the screens went black once again, leaving the students to look at one another in anxious wait, unable to protest.

“Should we head over?” Kenji asked the three, Natsumi giving a soft nod as everyone had begun to stand up and walk towards the other side of the building where the gymnasium was located. The four had decided to band together as always, the blonde beside her brother before she felt someone accidentally bump into her.

She turned her head, angry before she noticed Takuya apologising as he stepped forward in front of her. “Sorry about that,” he said nervously, not wanting to get on her bad side. She dismissed it, giving a nod and letting him pass by.

Isamu observed the scene with a satisfied huff, “I’m impressed at your growing patience.”

Natsumi chuckled, hands in her blazer’s pocket as she spoke that there truly wasn’t a choice in a situation like this. “One wrong comment and that could make us a target. I need to protect us both. That’s my job after all,” she added as Isamu sighed, thankful that she was so determined to protect him, though he knew that talent wouldnt stop a murder if it happened.

“Let’s just focus on both of us getting out of here alive. That’s all I need,” Natsumi smiled.

A five minute walk turned into a two minute sprint due to Honoka’s antics as Natsumi coughed upon reaching the entrance of the gym. 

The figure skater laughed, “It was barely two minutes of running. We need to train together, you and I!” She held the door open for the three of them and Takuya to pass through. Natsumi shook her head, admitting that sports weren’t exactly her line of work. 

“We can work on that,” Honoka chuckled before they entered the gym, nothing about it looked different aside from a small scuff mark in the floor. It was probably from when Amuyu and Riko had fallen on the floor from the shock of the spikes that had pierced through.

Takuya stood beside Natsumi, keeping an eye out for any changes. She noticed him beginning to write down whatever he saw. Natsumi remembered the conversation they had yesterday at the table about his talent, and how much of a pressure cooker something like journalism could be.

He seemed to be invested in documenting any possible information he could, which would possibly be a good resource later on in the case of these class trials that Monokuma had gone on and on about. 

“We’re all here. What now?” Amuyu asked mindlessly.

Monokuma appeared once again, without any warning as the astrophysicist screamed, gripping his brother’s wrists as Hideki rolled his eyes, asking how grabbing him was going to protect him from a stuffed bear. 

“Here I am! I can just come in and out as I please, I told you all my mechanics are complex!”

Mitsuaki stood near Shizuka, nudging the shorter woman as he joked that he could just disassemble Monokuma if he was truly just a piece of machinery. Their headmaster frowning, offended at the accusation that he was _just_ some piece of machinery. 

“So can I disassemble you or not?”

“No you may not!” Monokuma yelled before Shizuka and Mitsuaki broke out into laughter, the headmaster turning towards the same table he had introduced himself on. He got on the wooden slab, intent to have everyone beneath him both in a physical and metaphorical sense. 

“So why were we all gathered here in the first place?” Mari asked, clutching the e-Handbook in her arms.

“There hasn’t been any killing. what kind of game is this?!” The headmaster shook his head, disappointed. “You can’t all just mope around,” Monokuma growled, angered by the disrespect that his students were showing. 

Natsumi rolled her eyes, not paying a lick of attention knowing that he practically ran and was fed on utter feedback and comments that the students gave. They all encouraged his side remarks and snarky comments. If it was true that their parents had gone through all of this before, then Natsumi wondered how they didn’t kill Monokuma before finishing their own killing game.

_Three days and I already dream of beating the living daylights out of him. I don’t know how my parents may have endured an entire game with this damn stuffed bear…_

Ayaka groaned, clasping her hands together as she pleaded for him to stop talking.

“All this talking hurts my head! Let me have a muffin,” she grumbled as she tossed the wrapper in the garbage. She immediately sat back down aside Takuma, who agreed with her sentiment, adding to the voices that simply wanted Monokuma to go away.

“But I have yet to even give you all your new motive!”

Natsumi turned, eyebrows raised in suspense as she began to ponder exactly what he meant by “motive.”

“Excuse me?” Isamu had asked, echoing what everyone had been thinking right at that very moment. Monokuma laughed, amused as ever by their utter lack of knowledge and need for an explanation. 

“A motive! Something to start this killing game! You all are sore losers and clearly need something to spice up the environment!” 

Mitsuaki groaned, “This is bullshit! We aren’t gonna do your stupid game!” 

“You will once you hear my new motive!” Monokuma teased, cackling as the other students had begun to become more nervous. Natsumi couldn’t fully assess any kind of reaction she was having, considering he had yet to reveal this proposed motivation to make them kill one another. 

“Since you have yet to follow the objectives of my game, I am taking away something you all need: sleep!”

Natsumi blinked, unable to tell if she was simply immensely tired and hadn’t heard that right or if her ears had in fact not deceived her. “No sleep?” she asked aloud, stupidly. Monokuma nodded, repeating the sentence once again to make sure it truly lodged in their brain. 

Amuyu grunted, “And how are you gonna be able to make sure we’re awake. That means you have to stay awake as well,” he pressed, a smirk across his lips as Monokuma shook his head, walking towards the astrophysicist. 

“I am simply a piece of some of the most advanced machinery ever made, despite being your adorable headmaster, so I have a constant surveillance system and camera work hidden inside me!” He commented cheerfully, as if he enjoyed going into detail about his features. “Not to mention the constant videos from the monitors that are planted in each corner and room, Mr. Momota!”

“So what if we fall asleep?” Hiroto asked innocently.

“You will get executed on the spot!” Monokuma responded quickly as a bolt, adding that this would go on for every student even if everyone would fall asleep. They all caused an uproar, mentioning that it would completely dismiss the entire point of this game they were being subjected to.

“Damn it, I am not your fucking guinea pig!” Takuma yelled, growing angry at these constant antics. But Natsumi knew that they all remained virtually powerless against whoever was pulling the strings behind this whole killing game. 

"Do not compare yourself to such beautiful creatures," Shizuka grumbled.

“That is exactly the anger I need from you all,” Monokuma squealed, happy to see the tension ripping from the seams as Ayaka jumped up, joining Takuma in the anger that was building and building towards their own headmaster. 

“Don’t get all mad at me, it’s a simple motive: kill one person or risk everyone dying!”

Kasumi spoke up, “Are you keeping us confined in this specific area? Wouldn’t that make for a simple murder? We would all be witnesses and get the culprit voted off in an instant.”

Monokuma hummed, “I never said such a thing. All facilities will be open at their usual times, those that are forbidden after dark will stay open if you happen to find yourself inside and you are still permitted to eat,” he added, Honoka lighting up at the fact that they would still be able to eat and drink as they pleased. “The only rule is no one is allowed to sleep until a murder takes place or else you will face instant punishment.”

Natsumi felt a lump growing at the back of her throat, as if she was about to cry from the pure stress of the matter. 

“How dare you?! You’re forcing us to play your stupid game,” Takuya yelled as Monokuma shook his head.

“Well, I did warn you all that the killing game would start soon! Besides, I’m doing you all a favour. You should be thanking your teacher for making life a little less boring around here! Do you all really want to live the rest of your lives here until you die a mindless death?”

No one answered the question, not able to truly come to terms with the truth.

“I have my answer, so the timer starts now!” Monokuma cackled before he once again disappeared from their midst. 

Natsumi felt her knees buckle beneath her, collapsing to the floor as she felt her brother and Honoka rush over to help her up. She seemed to have completely lost control and blacked out on the floor. How could this day possibly get any worse?

How could her life possibly get any worse?

“Don’t collapse now. The time has only just started ticking,” Kasumi commented as she passed Shiori, who was right beside her. She held a small ice pack her sister had pulled out from when they left the cafeteria. Shiori bent down, the vexillogist carefully pressing it to the bodyguard’s forehead as Natsumi finally managed to grip the ice pack firmly with her fingers.

“Do you want anything?” Isamu asked softly, trying not to overwhelm his sibling as he noticed her gently shake her head. Honoka held out a protein bar she had stolen from the table earlier, telling her that it would help keep her from passing out again. The figure skater unwrapped it before Natsumi could even protest.

“Thanks,” Natsumi whispered softly, unusually quiet as she munched on the flavourless protein bar. The gesture was appreciated, but it was certainly not something you ate for the taste. Licking her lips, the blonde sighed, admitting that she truly didn’t know how long she would last considering she was often out cold by the nighttime warning.

“I say we stick together, all three of us,” Honoka suggested, zipping up her lavender training jacket as she spoke. Isamu rubbed her shoulder, happy to do whatever Honoka suggested as Natsumi chuckled, admitting that she was indeed the ultimate bodyguard and could use her position for good.

"Let me use my talent for once," she laughed, glad that her spirits were raised in some capacity. 

After their agreement, they sat around the gym for another hour, trying to pass the time by telling stories which had led them to talking about their parents. Honoka seemed grateful to do so, speaking highly of her mother and father’s relationship and saying that she wished for that kind of love when she got older. 

Natsumi leaned back against the wall, noticing Takuya still in the gym, continuing to write as Honoka spoke about her parents. 

“I have never seen two people so in love before,” Honoka chuckled. 

Isamu and Natsumi listened intently. They knew their “aunt” had a husband of some sorts, but Akane did not seem like the type to be a hopeless romantic or at least married to one from what the figure skater’s descriptions sounded like. 

“My mom told me she never really expected to fall in love. She said she was too focused on her gymnastics to provide for her family, but she met my dad when they attended Hope's Peak and apparently she felt very strongly about him. She always hid her feelings by just asking him to train and fight with her.”

“Your father,” Isamu interrupted, “I’m assuming he was some kind of athlete?”

“Close! Team Manager, really big into sports but he didn’t play, he simply coached. He doesn’t coach me unfortunately unless we are on a private rink.”

Natsumi blinked, curious as to why he wouldn’t coach his own daughter. He seemed like the perfect person to do so. It seemed a bit odd, though the blonde was in no position to speak about Honoka’s personal life.

“Well, fighting is one way to admit your feelings,” Isamu joked.

Honoka laughed, her legs outstretched as she continued on.

“It is! Apparently it lasted a long while before my mom just admitted it and kissed him, stubborn as always,” she sighed. 

Time had gone by in the blink of an eye. Four hours had been ticked off purely by telling stories about their parents and early childhoods. Kenji had joined in, bringing extra bottles of water as Natsumi kept an eye on Takuya who only had now opened a book, sitting on the floor.

The rest had seemed to disappear and spread out to who knows where aside from them and Shizuka who laid on Mitsuaki’s lap, speaking on and on about some topic that Natsumi couldn;t understand considering the distance between them. 

“It’s been about five hours and a half,” Kenji stated, pointing up to the LED clock that was displayed right above the door of the gymnasium. No one had yet to even yawn but the challenge had started in the morning hours. There was going to be a long span of time coming.

“I feel fine,” Honoka sang out.

“I just feel sick,” Natsumi muttered, rubbing her eyes as her brother asked if they should go and eat, to try and up their energy a little. 

Honoka agreed instantly, jumping up as Kenji simply went along with the pack. 

“Sure,” she replied, feeling the blood rush from her head.

They headed out, closing the door as they began a walk to the cafeteria. Takuma, Ayaka and Amuyu were laying in a circle right near the gates of the building. They looked amused and busy with themselves, which was all that anyone could wish for in a ticking time bomb like this.

Natsumi took in a small breath, exhaling as she focused on the mission at hand.

_As long as we stick together, we will not lose to some petty game._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is @pxkopxkoyama and comments are much appreciated !! xx


	6. chapter one: despair is the way of the land (free time).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> freetime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for the comments and kudos, it makes me smile and I hope you all have been enjoying; it's odd to format everything into third person so I hope this does the trick. as always, thank you laney for editing and looking this over !!! we are so close to the excitement beginning guys also these freetimes were generated by a spinny wheel so not a specific author’s choice or anything. If this fics does somehow get a bigger audience i will do freetimes by looking at the reception of the kiddos

* * *

It had been eight hours since the announcement of the new motive.

The time struck five in the afternoon as Honoka had finished eating her lunch, trying not to overdo it as eating would only make them all twice as tired. 

“Listen, I’m just taking some snacks to go,” the figure skater explained as Isamu warned her about the dangers of overeating for a motive like this. 

“Fine,” he mumbled, the three of them heading out from the cafeteria as Kenji admitted he wanted to stay back and spend some time with themself. They let him be as they walked back to that same spot in the gymnasium, where now only the three of them remained. 

Honoka swung her legs back and forth as they sat back on the wooden floors; “What now?” she asked curiously as Isamu shrugged and admitted that there truly was nothing much that they even could do in this circumstance. 

“We can train to raise our energy!”

Natsumi cringed, not wanting to even attempt to do anything athletic with her meager skills. Isamu nodded, all over the idea as Honoka grinned and got up, beginning to lead him through a training regiment as the other girl slipped out of their gaze.

The bodyguard walked towards the doors and exited, leaving them to train and do whatever they so wished for the next few hours. Natsumi made another stop to the cafeteria, noticing that Hideki had joined Kenji in simply lounging on the tables.

Finally, she found the vending machines side by side one another, attempting to grab gifts for her classmates to give when she went to go and see them. She inserted a few of the coins that had come inside of their dorm’s gift basket as she chose an assortment of items.

The vending machine’s weren’t all snack based; some had clothing or collectables, clearly some thought had been put into this just as everything else inside this school.

Natsumi grabbed her items and headed out, taking snacks and drinks she could slip inside of her blazer’s secret pocket. She began to walk around the school aimlessly, not having an idea who to even speak to. Her brother and Honoka were training, so that left everyone else open.

_If we’re all gonna be stuck here I might as well get to know my classmates a little more..._

* * *

“Yo, look at this!” Ayaka yelled upon seeing Natsumi approach her, waving a pink bottle filled with Ramune at the sound mixer. 

“You got this for me?” She asked, mouth agape as the bodyguard admitted that she wanted to spend time and get to know her a bit better. Ayaka seemed honoured, grabbing her hand before she fixed her bangs. “You wanna hang?!”

“Yes, that was why I came and saw you,” she responded, scratching the back of her head. Natsumi had spotted her through the window of the building, amused to see that she was in a music studio of some sorts. It fit her talent well enough. 

“We can totally hang. Just try and help me turn this stuff on first! I wanna test and see if these soundboards and guitars actually work,” she hummed. Natsumi nodded, not arguing with the girl beside her as she stood beside her and tried to make somewhat of a good assistant. 

_I spent two hours helping Ayaka set up the sound system in the music room._

Ayaka, extremely happy with her gift and smiling ear to ear, invited Natsumi to sit with her on the recording studio floor. She nodded, noticing how happy she seemed in an environment with music, which made sense for her profession...But was it for another reason?

“You seem to like music. Family thing?” 

The girl chuckled, nodding as she explained that one of her parents had been the Ultimate Musician back in her time at Hope's Peak. “She was completely engulfed in her career! She always sang to me as a kid and she tried to make me fall asleep to heavy metal,” she giggled as Natsumi cocked a brow.

“That doesn’t seem like something that would help,” she commented.

“It didn’t!” Ayaka replied with a laugh, “My other mom, she was the Ultimate Nurse, always worried and always scared that I would go deaf because of my mom and her musical antics!” 

Natsumi had been surprised to hear about her other mom. She didn’t expect Ayaka of all people to have a mother involved in something so difficult and time consuming as nursing. She seemed far more bouncy and boisterous in her mannerisms than how she described her other mother.

“How did you know you wanted to do sound mixing?”

Ayaka had already taken the plastic strip off her Ramune bottle as she turned to Natsumi, openly shrugging at the question as if she didn’t have a cohesive answer. “Well, I used to watch my mom perform a ton and then with both of them we would always watch movies, so I guess I became into it since childhood!”

“Oh, really?”

“I started getting serious just two years before I got scouted,” she admitted, “Since sound mixers are the people who look at all the sound recorded during filming, I had directors start to ask me for help and for my talent if you will,” Ayaka took a deep breath. “I started to get the hang of it and kept being recommended, so I got to do a variety of projects!” 

Natsumi smiled, not accepting it to be such a vigorous and time consuming talent.

_Gotta be more open minded about everyone here… She looks ditzy but she’s actually really smart._

“My parents would always try to come to the premieres. It was always a big event and it always meant I was out of school,” Ayaka chuckled, happy that she got to miss school in favour of furthering her career and her talent. It must have been impressive considering she had also received the invitation to Hope's Peak like the rest of them.

“What about you, missy!?”

Natsumi turned, confused. “Me?”

“Bodyguard is a very serious talent,” she giggled, hands behind her back as her posture relaxed. “You do anything else? Singing, dancing?”

* * *

_What would she even want to hear?_

**_\- I like to sing in the shower sometimes._ **   
_\- I have a habit of eating huge chip bags._   
_\- I don’t do anything really._

* * *

Natsumi sighed, flushing as she admitted that she did have a habit of singing in the shower sometimes, especially if she was alone at home. Ayaka clapped, happy to hear something she didn’t know about the blonde beside her.

“That’s how it all starts!” she winked, Natsumi rolling her eyes. “I won’t ask you to sing for me but maybe it’s more than a hobby.”

The blonde held back a laugh, “No way. Music doesn’t exactly run in my family like yours does.”

A grin slipped across the taller woman’s lips, taking off her denim jacket as she spoke to Natsumi who sat just beside her, both of them still laying on the floor of the “Listen Natsumi, if you ever wanna record a song or something you know exactly who to call!”

The blonde nodded. She didn’t ever expect to do such a trivial thing, but it was still a sweet offer regardless. Ayaka looked satisfied with their discussion and especially with her gift that was already halfway to being finished as Natsumi stared at the glass.

_Looks like Ayaka had a really good time..._

* * * 

Strolling throughout the school, Natsumi had begun to feel her legs grow tired.

She had yet to find a clock, unable to even tell what time of day it was at this point. Natsumi was certain a good chunk of time had passed and night time was approaching but it was not as if mattered anyway. The task at hand was to stay awake until a murder happened or fall asleep and be the first victim of this game.

Natsumi shivered. She had forgotten all about that when she had spent time with Ayaka.

She had been looking for Hiroto for almost fifteen minutes, before she walked out towards the gates, noticing him simply laying in the grass right near the statues she had met Kenji at.

Out of everyone she had met, Hiroto seemed like the one she knew the least about. Sure, he couldn’t remember his talent but in general he seemed like the type of person you couldn’t get too close to. 

Approaching the lonesome boy, Natsumi reached in her blazer pocket, ready to offer him one of the snacks she had bought. He turned to his side, surprised to see her here. He immediately sat up, as if he was embarrassed to be seen lounging around. 

“Do you mind if we hang out?” She asked quietly, not wanting to disturb his peace.

Hiroto flushed, his cheeks growing red at the idea of anyone wanting to hang out with him. Honoured, he nodded his head and invited her to sit beside him and stare at the school. Natsumi wouldn’t consider this the most interesting activity of all time but sometimes she needed to be with someone in pure silence, to feel some kind of peace.

Hiroto and I spent a few hours observing the school and talking about our day.

Natsumi remembered the gift she had bought, showing Hiroto the bag of chips she had brought for him. He nervously shook his head, admitting that it felt wrong to accept gifts from others especially when she had been the one to so kindly spend time with him.

He adjusted his glasses as Natsumi threw them in his lap.

“Natsumi…” he had begun before the bodyguard shook her head, audibly objecting to his attempts to give back the gift she had given him. He seemed determined to show that she didn’t need to provide gifts for them to hang out though she had gotten it simply as a token of kindness. 

“Please? For me?” She begged, not understanding why he felt so obligated to decline a simple gift.

He finally let out a sigh and accepted his defeat, taking the bag of chips next to him as Natsumi pumped her fists, proud that she had managed to avoid any more of that awkward conversation. Hiroto sat beside her, his eyes always seemed to look at the floor or her shoes; he seemed like someone who hated to make eye contact.

“You’re really anxious, y’know,” Natsumi blurted out.

She wished she could slap herself, the frightened expression upon Hiroto’s face was enough to make her want to coil back into herself. Natsumi cursed herself for that comment though eventually he spoke quietly. 

“Can’t help it. Up until a good seven years ago, I was without a family.”

Natsumi perked up, staying silent as she extended a hand to his lap and laid her fingertips on his own to show that she was listening if he wished to open up about the subject. Every new thing she had seemed to learn about him seemed to help her piece together more and more why he seemed so mute about everything. 

* * *

_How do I make this less awkward…_

_\- What happened to your family?_   
**_\- So you were adopted?_ **   
_\- Do you wanna eat your chips now?_

* * *

Natsumi sighed, “So I’m assuming you were adopted?”

He nodded, looking ashamed at the fact he had been an orphan though Natsumi rubbed his shoulders, trying to offer some kind of comfort from human contact. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Family isn’t always blood. I know that,” she assured. 

“The yakuza, the clan we have- they’re all my family, but we’re not all related y’know? Same for you. Just because whoever takes care of you now isn't biological, doesn’t mean it's any less important or loving.”

Hiroto’s lips curled into a soft smile, “You think so?”

“I know so,” she said seriously. 

He sighed, a bit more relieved as he spoke, admitting that he never had someone to open up to before her. Natsumi tilted her head, “Well have you tried to talk to anyone else?” Hiroto’s eyes widened, as if he had just heard the blonde speak in a foreign language.

“Well… No… I haven’t n-no,” he admitted sheepishly.

“You should try to talk to some of the others, start with people like my brother or Kenji since they aren’t complete idiots or loudmouths like some of the others here,” she admitted, thinking back to Amuyu’s consistent behaviour throughout the first three days.

_How he hasn’t died yet? I have no clue._

“Just do small talk. Worst case, just talk about the school and how many fucking statues there are,” Natsumi grumbled as Hiroto chuckled beside her, a hand running through his light blue hair as he thanked her. 

“No need to thank me. I just wanna make sure you know you’re not alone, is all.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled before looking up at the reflective glass that covered all of the outside area. “I miss my dad a lot,” he finally admitted, teary eyed as he spoke.

Natsumi jumped to action, rubbing his growing red eyes with the sleeve of her striped blazer, trying to catch all of his falling tears. She could understand missing her parents. She missed them every second. Hiroto seemed twice as heartbroken, which was understandable considering everything he had told Natsumi just now. 

“Your dad...I’m sure he’s a cool ass dude,” Natsumi chuckled, trying to lift his spirits by speaking about his father. Hiroto nodded, pulling up his pants as he mentioned that he actually had been a Hope's Peak graduate just like the rest of everyone’s parents here.

“Really? Can I ask about his talent?”

“Ultimate Detective. Apparently he was just as anxious as me, so his best friends always had to bring him out of his shell and encourage him to really grow.” 

Natsumi nodded, not wanting to mention that it was exactly what they had to do to him as well. Even if he didn’t remember his talent, that didn’t mean that he was useless or any less talented than the rest of the students. 

“He adopted me with a fellow student of his class. She was so beautiful. I remember seeing her for the first time...When they both asked the people at the orphanage if they could speak to me, I was just staring at my dad’s friend with the beautiful silver hair.”

Natsumi cackled. 

“What a ladies man,” she joked as he shook his head, embarrassed to remember the giant crush he had on his father’s friend. 

“She became my aunt, not on paper but anytime my dad had a ton of work or had an emergency, I would always go to my aunt Kirumi’s house. She was the Ultimate Maid, so her house was always spotless and she cooked the most amazing meals,” he said, his smile brightening as he spoke sweetly of his family.

Hiroto sighed, snapping back to reality. “Here we are though,” he whispered.

Natsumi grabbed his hand, telling him to take a deep breath and just focus on the future and also on not falling asleep. Hiroto laughed, the sound making the blonde smile instinctively. It was sweet to see him out of his shell for once.

“Thanks for the chips,” he added. 

_I think I’m starting to understand Hiroto a little better…_

* * * 

“You wish to speak with me? I am not free. Pay a price as if you are in a museum of mine.” 

Natsumi rolled her eyes, beginning to regret even asking Shizuka to hang out. 

She had simply been the first person that the blonde had seen hanging out alone. The museum curator had been sitting near one of the doors of the library, beginning to look just a bit tired as Natsumi had approached her to ask if she would like to take a walk together. 

After Natsumi held out a bag of candy, Shizuka looked satisfied.

A grin appeared across her lips, the black lipstick she had on beginning to fade from its colour just a little bit. “Very well, let’s walk with one another then!”

_I spent some time with Shizuka walking around the perimeters of our school._

Natsumi surprisingly enjoyed her time with the doting daughter of apparently, a former Ultimate Breeder and a member of royalty. "Your mom is a princess? That's pretty cool," she began as Shizuka held a hand, stopping her there. 

"My mother was a princess, in fact she had come to Hope's Peak as the Ultimate Princess from what she told me but she gave up her title." 

Natsumi was taken aback. If she was somehow a descendent of a royal family, she surely wouldn't give up her title for any reason. Curiously, she asked why she had done so.

Shizuka, a woman who seemed full of answers, surprisingly admitted that she truly had no clue as to why her mother may have done such a thing. "I am beginning to think it was because of my father, since she is now of course living in Japan and had me," she added. 

_God, are all of our parents just hiding secrets from their kids?_

"Your dad was just a breeder though-" 

Shizuka scoffed, "Only the most ambitious and incredible breeder in the universe, not to mention the power he holds as a man born not even within this dimension." 

Not a single word of what she had just said had even managed to process through Natsumi's head. She refused to comment on the matter and simply corrected herself, not wanting to start an argument with someone whose father apparently tapped into some kind of dark arts.

"So do you have any pets?" 

Shizuka grinned, an egoistical smile across her face as she told Natsumi about all of the animals that she personally owned and the ones that her father and mother took care of. The longer time passed, the more it sounded like Shizuka was simply living in a zoo which perhaps for her was a perfect world and completely her taste.

* * *

_What's something to keep the conversation going…?_

**_\- Do you travel a lot for your talent?_ **   
_\- How have your parents lasted this long together?_   
_\- Why do you always wear black?_

* * *

  
Natsumi cleared her throat, feeling for once like she was beneath someone. Purely her presence intimidated the bodyguard which was quite impressive, she would give her that.

"You're a museum curator right? I'm assuming you must travel a lot?" 

Shizuka pondered how to answer.

"Yes and no," she replied before adding that she indeed was invited to travel often but she very rarely attended physical meetings or openings of the museum's she helped oversee.

"Why not?" 

The curator stuffed the gift in her dress pocket, turning back to Natsumi as she explained that she had awful motion sickness and hated being away from her parents. 

"Damn, for your profession that's a bit of a downer." 

Shizuka cackled, enjoying the company despite the odd turn the conversation was headed towards. "Indeed, I do travel some periods of time occasionally, but otherwise I simply do the work domestically." 

"You have any favourite place you've gone to?" 

The woman beside her groaned, "That's a great question. That would take me quite some time to figure out an answer to," she replied before humming.

Natsumi yawned, wishing she hadn't upon seeing the horror in Shizuka's face. "I'm fine, I'm fine, don't get all scared," she quickly spoke. 

"You are also growing tired? I understand the human body will do what it must, but it was quite an inconvenience to all of us." 

Anger rushed through Natsumi, remembering how damn cruel yet smart Monokuma was with this motive. It was quite brilliant considering that because of their exhaustion, the sleep deprivation would make someone act up eventually especially if it meant the rest of them could live to see another day.

"I propose we go and make some tea, my mother taught me how to make an excellent blend. It will cure all fatigue and tiredness" she proudly stated. 

Having nothing to lose, Natsumi nodded.

_I think we both had a really good time with one another..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr is @pxkopxkoyama, comments always appreciated xx


	7. chapter one: despair is the way of the land (daily life) III.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a body has been discovered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the comments and support, I hope that you all enjoy as the real game begins. thank you as always to my sweet laney for editing and looking this over for me, enjoy guys xx

* * * 

It had been twenty hours since the motive had been announced. 

Talking to her classmates had passed a generous amount of time and training with her brother and Honoka made the time pass by even quicker. However, she had begun to grow tired and weak. Eating had only made her twice as exhausted and the tea she had made with Shizuka seemed to make her a bit more energised, but she knew that it would lead to a crash eventually.

“Don’t fall asleep,” Isamu stated sternly. 

Natsumi sighed, rubbing her eyes as she blinked and stared at the gymnasium’s dull ceiling. “I know, I know, but damn,” she yawned, “I don’t know how much longer I can last.” 

Isamu took her hand, much to her own surprise as she stared up at her older brother. “Listen, you are the strongest person I know. You’re not going to give up, for our mom and dad especially. I can’t begin to imagine how worried they are about us, so we are going to escape together.” 

Honoka chuckled beside her as she took off her jacket, throwing it to her side. She nudged Isamu, admitting that she would like to survive this killing game as well. “Not to intrude on the touching sibling moment or anything,” she sang, keeping her spirits up high, though Natsumi wasn’t sure how much higher they could go.

“Let’s do something to distract ourselves, cards perhaps?” Isamu suggested.

Honoka looked at Natsumi, wandering to see if she would approve of the idea, though the blonde shook her head. “If I have to do anything logical or with thinking I think I might puke,” she whispered, starting to feel physically sick after doing nothing but rotating between walking, talking and eating.

“That is just fine. Honoka?”

The figure skater nodded, flusteredly admitting that she had never really played any kind of card game before. Isamu cocked a brow, curious as to what had stopped her, because her parents didn’t seem the type to shade her from any kind of activities or ideas. 

“Oh, nothing too deep, I was just always at the rink and training. I train almost ten hours a day every single day,” she said calmly, as if it was just some small factoid about herself though it made Natsumi almost bolt forward. 

“Ten hours? Do you even sleep?!”

Honoka laughed, “Well yeah, that's the bare minimum of my training every day! I only do five hours on Saturday so I can have some time with my parents, but other than that skating is basically my entire life. It’s my ultimate after all!”

The more that Natsumi had gotten to know Honoka in the short amount of time they had been together as classmates, the more she had begun to wonder about how she acted in front of her and Isamu. Was this positivity all some kind of facade, or was Natsumi simply thinking too deeply about the subject matter?

_ Don’t be a detective about everything. She’s just happy and she’s an ultimate. Of course she spends all day at the rinks training. _

“That is quite okay,” Isamu replied, returning to the subject of playing cards. “Let’s start with something simple so you can get the basics down.”

As Honoka and Isamu played, Natsumi lounged beside them, laying on her back right beside her brother just in case her instincts took over and she’d cave in. There had yet to be a murder judging by the calm and quiet, but you truly could never tell in a situation like this, about who would strike and when would they do it.

* * * 

Another two hours had gone by. Natsumi was far too tired to even tilt her head towards the clock on top of the entrance doors. She could hear faint mumbles from Isamu when Honoka would somehow manage to win Karuta against him.

All of her senses had passed. All that was left was the thought of sleeping, of completely blacking out. Natsumi was beginning to consider the punishment as a good thing, as if it was worth dying to have just a few moments of rest.

“Don’t even think about it!” Isamu yelled just loud enough for Natsumi to hear and clench her fists. She truly wasn’t sure what would happen if her brother had not always been there or beside her. Even outside of this killing game, he was the person that she could depend most on.

Keeping track of the minutes flying by, Isamu stood up after another round of cards had passed with Honoka. “I am going to grab some food. Please stay with Natsumi if that is okay.”

The sentence was worded more like a demand than an open request, however Honoka understood that someone needed to watch over the blonde, who’s eyes seemed to grow weaker and weaker with each passing moment. 

“You got it!” she responded with a thumbs up.

Natsumi watched her brother quietly walk away, a weaker movement in his steps than she had ever seen before. He clearly had started to succumb to the pressure and the utter exhaustion of the motive. The blonde would have jumped up and followed her brother if it had not been for the fact that she grew scared of even moving.

“You holding in there?” Honoka asked aloud. 

“I guess,” Natsumi responded quietly, her lips becoming dry each time she mumbled a single word.

With growing circles under her eyes, Honoka nodded, understanding the weight on their shoulders. They truly didn’t know when a murder would commence but it certainly had to be soon. Someone would have the impulsive desire to end this selfish, cruel motive.

Natsumi had shoved aside every thought of the killing game for right now, only focused on where she was and finding a place or object to stare at, something to keep her eyes busy and keep her brain occupied, as long as it didn’t involve any kind of long conversations. 

It had been another twenty minutes before Natsumi had given up hope, beginning to fall into an utter pit of darkness and accept her fate, killed or not. Honoka had dismissed herself to the restroom, telling the blonde to simply wait three minutes at the most and she would be back.

The moment the door had closed behind her, three minutes had begun to tick and it all felt like fifty hours culminating into a single moment. 

_ I can’t... stay awake… any longer. _

Her eyes closed as her body shut down, following the whispers that told her to sleep, to finally have some rest even if it meant being murdered over.

Falling into a slumber, the world went black.

* * * 

The realisation that Natsumi had fallen asleep hit her like a truck.

She had been stuck in a dream, a dream that she wished never happened; she saw dark bodies and red eyes, nothing more. They were not even chasing her, they had no objective, they simply stood and stared at her. 

It was as if she was being mocked.

There were faint whispers of the word “secret” and “you don’t know yet,” but otherwise, everything was silent which only added to the horrified atmosphere. Nowhere to run in her own dreams, Natsumi had screamed, finding herself awake, expecting to find herself in some kind of purgatory, dead.

“Wait…”

She touched her body, running her hands down her blazer as she turned to her side. 

“I’m not…?”

The epiphany had hit her like a truck.

She desperately looked around for her brother, for Honoka but no one had been beside her when she woke up. No one was even in the gymnasium where Natsumi had fallen asleep, she must have been locked in.

A lightbulb lit up, remembering back to the school rules.

_ Kasumi spoke up, “Are you keeping us confined in this specific area? Wouldn’t that make for a simple murder? We would all be witnesses and get the culprit voted off in an instant.” _

_ Monokuma hummed, “I never said such a thing. All facilities will be open at their usual times. Those that are forbidden after dark will stay open if you happen to find yourself inside and you are still permitted to eat.” _

Natsumi stood up, running to the doors, assuming that it was past the night time since she had woken up judging by the clock that read “11:22” on top of the doors. The murder must have happened. It was the only explanation for Natsumi not being punished on the spot.

Opening the door, she saw Hiroto snoozing beside the wall. It was as if he was protecting the doors for some reason. Natsumi bent down, the bodyguard gently shaking the boy as he awoke with a yelp. His eyes flashed wide with anxiety, asking if he had just been killed and sent to the afterlife.

“No, you’re not dead...But that means…”

Hiroto nodded, ready to speak though Natsumi didn’t give him the chance.She grabbed his hand and began running with her beside him. The two determined students felt wide awake despite the motive that had caused them to collapse of exhaustion. 

“Let’s go. There has to be a body somewhere,” Natsumi called out.

She had yet to see her brother or Honoka however there was no point in trying to find everyone. They ran before Hiroto tugged her sleeve, telling her to stop. Natsumi froze, frustratedly whipping her head back before she saw what he was pointing at the slightly opened door in front of them.

It looked to be the science classroom that connected to the lab. She remembered having met two of her classmates in that same room. Hiroto hid behind Natsumi, finding the bodyguard the much better option to open the door first.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” she assured with a weak voice, her tone slightly trembling, well too aware of what might await them behind that door. Stepping forward, she held her fists close to her chest, deciding to kick down the door in case anything jumped at them.

Why was she so nervous?

_ Everything is fine, it’s fine...  _

_ Everything will be… _

The moment Natsumi kicked down the door she saw a sight she never expected.

“No…”

The science lab had been trashed, beakers that had been made from glass seemed to surround the door as there were multiple slashes on the door to the supply closest. While there wasn’t any blood pooling on the floor, instead what awaited was even more horrifying. 

Right next to the supply closet door hung the body of Isamu Kuzuryuu, her own brother.

The monitors chimed a strange jingle they had yet to hear once Riko had run up to the door, gasping and bursting into a scream. Unable to take in the sight in front of her, Monokuma came across the monitors, distracting them for a brief moment though Natsumi’s eyes didn’t move from her brother’s dead body.

_ “A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the class trial will begin!” _

_ This is real…  _

_ Isamu is dead and it isn’t some kind of trick… _

Her brother’s body had been hung from the ceiling, his legs tied as well in an odd, messy knot as blood from his cheeks had spread all the way down to his neck; still not dry as his eyes and mouth were closed. 

His neck had been hung with a regular rope while his legs had been tied with something Natsumi recognised immediately: her brother’s sabre dark red bag. It was almost insulting to see the sight, if she hadn’t shut down she might have kicked down three tables first.

“That…” 

Natsumi fell to her knees, once again, her hands falling to the sides of her face as she felt Hiroto and Riko bend down beside her. She couldn’t take her eyes off of her brother’s body; Neither said a word before the bodyguard inhaled a large breath, tears rushing down her cheeks as she let out a loud, horrific scream. 

“Isamu!” she bawled out, sobbing excessively as she bowed near his body.

_ Damn it if I just went with you… If I just played cards...  _

She felt Riko ran out the door, trying to find others as Riko stood beside her, pale as the referee attempted to comfort Natsumi to the best of her abilities. 

_ I couldn’t protect the person who mattered most to me. I'm such a lousy bodyguard... _

Her fists punched the floor, skin tearing open, though she ignored it. 

“That....this,” she whispered as she heard the sounds of footsteps rushing towards the science lab. Natsumi wasn’t sure if she was on the verge of a mental breakdown or in the middle of one as her classmates rushed into the scene.

“Holy fuck!” Amuyu screamed in terror, Hideki stepping back besides his brother as some had begun to enter and crowd around Natsumi or try and step closer to the body. Someone had gagged but Natsumi refused to look at who, her eyes stayed hyper focused on her brother.

She could hear that damn jingle replaying over and over in her head.

_ This is… all my fault. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is @pxkopxkoyama and comments much appreciated !!!


	8. despair is the way of the land (deadly life, investigation).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the investigation is held.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, hello !! I am so sorry it’s been mia but here in wales it was a lockdown and I had so much virtual school work. I have also been greatly hyperfixated on yttd (go see my college au, self promo) aside from that; glad to be back writing. thanks to all the discord friends for cheering me on and for all the kudos, 400 views !!! thanks so much guys.

* * *

_“Push me higher,” Natsumi whined._

_Isamu nodded, the slightly taller child attempting to run back and hold the swing in his hands, careful to not have his younger sister flip over. It had been a lovely day to visit the playgrounds according to their mother who entrusted Isamu to take care of and look over Natsumi as she sat nearby, occasionally glancing over at her children._

_“Dad pushes me like three times higher,” the blonde frowned, Isamu apologising for not being as strong as their father who also happened to be taller and older than the five and six year old._

_“I’m trying…”_

_After a few tests of trial and error he managed to gain a good grip on the sides of the swing, figuring out a way to push her without tumbling in the play area and injuring himself. Natsumi cheered, her hands firmly placed around the chains securing the swing as she visibly yelled._

_“Is it nice?” Her brother asked, a soft smile across his lips._

_Natsumi felt like she was flying through the sky; the sun flashing into her eyes as the wind blew slightly above her. Coming back down to the ground level she demanded more, her brother happy to do so as the blonde giggled relentlessly._

_Her brother had begun to grow tired of using all his strength but seeing his little sister smile and laugh so loud and sweet made everything all that much better._

_“You’re the best brother ever you know!”_

_The words made his stomach tingle, a soft smile appearing across the young boy’s lips as he stared at the swing going back and forth and his sibling coming toward him back and forth, eventually slowing down to which he would immediately stand behind her and push again._

_“Natsumi, let your brother have a break,” their mother spoke up._

_Isamu shook his head._

_“It’s alright mom, it’s the least I can do for her,” he admitted as Natsumi giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck for just a brief moment and holding him close._

_“I love you so much, I will always protect you!”_

* * * 

Natsumi sat, fixated on his hanging body.

The promises she had made of protecting him, the many things he had done to keep her happy and safe; that was all gone now. She never even had the proper chance to say “thank you,” to him while he was alive.

_This is… a cruel trick… It has to be…_

_An Ultimate Bodyguard who couldn’t even protect her brother._

“No…” she cried, hands covering her mouth as she openly wept in front of her classmates. Hiroto had sat right beside her, Takuya joining as he ran through the door, intent on making sure Natsumi wasn’t left alone in a situation like this.

“This game has begun,” Shizuka muttered though for the first time since Natsumi had met her, she seemed distraught despite her constant talk of a world much worse and darker than the planet they lived on. 

Everyone stood in silence before more footsteps came. Takuya put a hand on the blonde’s shoulder, trying to offer some kind of solace though there was a scream that made Natsumi turn and bump off his hand. Her ears pricked up hearing a familiar voice in the distance.

“Not a body, not Isamu damnit!” Honoka yelled, hands on her head as she tugged her hair, unable to believe the sight in front of her. Mari and Kasumi had entered as well, suspiciously late considering the two always seemed first to wherever the action was.

Monokuma suddenly burst into the limelight, cackling.

“Look at this, finally someone has some grit!”

Natsumi felt like passing out at the sound of that damn voice. It was the last thing she needed to hear after just discovering her brother’s own body. “My brother is actually dead?” She whispered aloud, confronting the obvious reality, suddenly realising just how helpless they all were in a game like this.

“That’s right!” He sang chipper.

“Isamu Kuzuryuu was killed by one of you!” The realisation that he had been killed by one of her own classmates dawned upon Natsumi. It made her blood boil, she felt her anger explode as she jumped up and growled. 

“Which one of you killed my brother?!” She screamed, her voice filled with nothing but pain as she added that she would happily execute them herself once they revealed themselves. Honoka bounced over, hands on the shorter woman’s shoulders as she told her to calm down gently.

“Don’t tell me to calm the fuck down,” she yelled, shoving the figure skater close to the wall. Honoka grunted, her hands placed behind her to stop her from tripping. Natsumi shook her head, “My brother is dead and you all are just sitting here? You all are pathetic!” She yelled before she felt her body get the best of her, immediately collapsing on the floor.

Honoka, despite being pushed, still was the first to run over and make sure Natsumi was okay. Mari bent down, trying to see her heart rate and her arms as Monokuma sighed. He spoke over them, not interested in the fate of Natsumi who managed to black out from utter spite and stress.

“Such cruel fate bestowed upon you all!”

Amuyu groaned, pointing a finger towards the headmaster. “So what are we supposed to do now? When’s that godforsaken trial gonna start huh?!”

Monokuma shushed him, “Quiet Momota you’re always on my nerves!”

Hideki managed to snicker, finding it quite in character for his brother to be the one always poking and teasing their headmaster. “I believe first we have an investigation to proceed with,” the other brother added as nervously stared up at the corpse of their classmate.

“Ding, ding, ding! Correct yet again!”

Natsumi had begun to gain back her senses, standing slowly with the help of Riko and Honoka who stood beside her as Monokuma explained more about the investigation process. 

“Speaking of investigation, I believe it is time to bring out the good old Monokuma File!”

“What in the hell is that?” Mitsuaki asked, expressing everyone’s current sentiment.

Suddenly, as if on cue, their e-Handbooks all buzzed.

Monokuma grinned, “It is to help you with your investigation, consider it the only bit of help you will get from me! It includes lots of fun things like the time of death and what areas of their body crumbled.” 

Kasumi cocked a brow, not buying into this idea in the slightest.

“And why should we trust this? How do we know you didn’t manipulate the file?”

Monokuma laughed, “If I really wanted to I could but I atleast want to see a fun trial, you have my word that nothing in this is fake however, it is only to give you a starting point so don’t think this will help you figure out the entire murder!”

Satisfied, Kasumi nodded.

“Other than that, it is completely up to you all how you go about this investigation but be careful, you only have a limited amount of time before the class trial!”

Before anyone could say a word, he vanished. 

Natsumi turned on the tablet, looking at those that were here; only about half of their class was currently where the body had been discovered. It was a bit odd, the alarm clearly had rung out across the entire school building. 

Honoka mumbled that she would leave Natsumi alone to roam and investigate. 

“Just remember, he would want you to figure out who did this…”

The words stuck with the bodyguard, striking a deep cord in her heart as she realised that finding the culprit would truly be the best and only way to find proper justice and have any kind of peace after her brother’s own demise. 

_If we need to investigate then so be it, I will find who did this to my brother._

* * * 

Natsumi took a deep breath, bracing herself at the possible photos of her brother that would show up on this Monokuma File that they had been given. The tablet glowed, showing a regular photo of her brother and his basic information on the right. 

She held the tablet close for a moment, preferring the shot of him alive and smiling as opposed to the reality that she would need to confront for the rest of this damn game. 

The giant text in bright pink that read **“Dead”** truly weakened the impact of the photo however.

Natsumi swiped down, finding text to help them with the case.

**_“The Victim is Isamu Kuzuryuu, his body was discovered inside the Science Lab right next to the classroom and in the same hallway as the gym. The estimated time of death is believed to be 10:40 in the morning.”_ **

Another swipe led to a photo of his hanging corpse, Natsumi closed her eyes for a brief moment before letting out a sharp groan. Below it was basic information about his cause of death and an outline of his body that marked the areas that seemed the most hurt and damaged.

In this case; his neck, his legs and some of his right shoulder.

She looked closely, reading the text.

_**“Not only was he hung by his neck but his legs were tied tight as well, securing him in place. There are bruises on his wrists and a few on the right shoulder.”** _

* * *

**Obtained Truth Bullet: Monokuma File #1**

* * *

The file stopped there, Mari came beside her, seeming anxious.

“May I ask you for something?” The lavender haired girl pondered, tablet clutched to her chest as Natsumi tilted her head curiously. She gave a slight nod of her head, permitting her to say what she needed to tell her.

“Do you mind if I examine his body and do a proper autopsy? I am a medical examiner after all,” she hummed. Natsumi looked at her brother who still hung from the ceiling though Riko and Amuyu were looking for a way to get him down to see the body. 

“You don’t need to ask permission,” she mumbled, rubbing her shoulder embarrassed. 

“Well, he is your family, I just wanted an answer was all, no trouble,” Mari replied with a smile across her face. Her kind disposition was completely opposite of her sister who seemed to just do whatever she wished and asked what she wanted at any given time.

Mari stepped near Amuyu who had grabbed a chair to finally bring down the body himself. Riko stood nearby, ready to catch him if something went amiss. “Cmon Amuyu we don’t have all day,” his brother called out as the astrophysicist attempted to psyche himself up enough to grab a corpse.

As they led the body down to the floor, careful to not touch anything on the floor or walls that could be evidence, Natsumi and Mari gathered around the body, leaving Riko and Amuyu to explore the rest of the lab. 

“What do you think?”

Mari stood silent for a minute, being careful to look at the marks around his neck and leg. She was taken back, looking at what Natsumi recognised as his sabre bag tied around his feet. “This is a very odd knot,” she grumbled, trying to get it off the bag.

Natsumi lended a hand though it took another solid minute to even untie it.

“Why the bag?”

“It might be so he stood still, judging by the marks I believe that it can be said for certain he was hung to death but the bag and the bruises on his right shoulder tell me that he fought back, they probably needed to restrain him somehow.”

Natsumi shivered, trying not to picture her brother fighting for his life as she was sleeping in the gym, a nightmare occurring right as he had been murdered. 

“I’ll leave you to get the rest of your information but I can for sure say that the marks prove he was hung to death but there are still sites of strangulation. I think he fought back but just lost the battle unfortunately…”

* * *

**Obtained Truth Bullet: Mari’s Autopsy.**

* * *

**Obtained Truth Bullet: Sabre Bag.**

* * *

“Ouch, so tight!”

The presence of new voices made Natsumi jump. 

They all turned towards the door hearing a loud scream of pain. Takuma and Ayaka walked through, the blonde boy holding the woman’s hand in his own as they stared hopelessly at the body of Isamu which had now been lowered to the floor.

“Look at you two holding hands!” Amuyu teased with a large grin as Takuma flipped him off, cursing at him before he let go of her hand, apologising that they were so late to the crime scene though that immediately earned suspicion from Kasumi and Natsumi.

“Where were you to be so late?”

Takuma rolled his eyes, “Bitchy much? We both got injured, Ayaka more than me, we came to try and find your sister to check her out.”

Natsumi peaked over, noticing that they were indeed not lying.

The sound mixer’s hand had been cut open while Takuma’s had been slightly scratched with a small rip of skin showing. “What happened?” Mari asked, running over from the body, immediately looking at their hands one by one.

“When we woke up, we both panicked and well…”

Ayaka interrupted him, “The door behind us had rusted nails fall and we both were cut with them, my hand was right under one so it pressed and then we saw that there were cracks in the wall. We left the scene untouched as much as we could so you could come see it!” 

The sound mixer was specifically looking at Natsumi, the blonde nodding and telling them that she’d come after she examined the body and room. 

“In the meantime, let’s go find the nurse office around here, I wanna examine your injuries, both of you,” Mari spoke up. Takuma shook his head, telling the shorter woman that he was just fine and that Ayaka deserved the proper treatment as opposed to him. 

Turning her focus back to the body, she noticed the rope that had been used to hang him seemed to have a darker colour near the end. “That’s odd,” she mumbled as she felt Kasumi standing over her, looking at the body for herself.

“Liquid,” Kasumi stated blankly.

Her fingers brushed against the tip of the rope, confirming the fact for herself.

“But from what I wonder,” she added as Natsumi shrugged, still focused on the body.

* * *

**Obtained Truth Bullet: Liquid on Rope.**

* * *

“Hey Takuma,” she called out for the toxicologist who turned from staring at the door aimlessly. 

“Yes?”

Natsumi walked near him, trying to observe the small injury he had acquired. “Can I ask about what happened before you saw the body? Did something odd happen beforehand that we might be able to use?”

Takuma stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking at the ceiling as he tried to recount what had happened before and after he had fallen asleep. “Ayaka and I stuck together for most of the time aside from when you saw her and when we met with Hiroto at one point.”

Natsumi sighed.

“Sorry, besides that we were alone and trying to walk around and stay awake. The only thing I remember is getting tired after we left the cafeteria and waking up to the broken door behind us where the nails and wall had blistered us.”

The bodyguard nodded, thankful to have some kind of account even if it proved useless.

* * *

**Truth Bullet Obtained: Takuma’s Account.**

* * *

“Thanks,” she mumbled.

“No problem, sorry I’m not much help but come see the scene when you’re done, it's in the building right next to us on the right. It was the old office door,” he added carefully as he walked out of the Science Lab, leaving Natsumi and the few who remained alone to examine what they could.

Looking back at her brother’s body she noticed beside the opening of the supply closet various scattered broken glass beakers. There was only a single, unbroken one that sat perched on top of the desk beside the closet. 

They were taking up a good portion of the floor and were scattered, further proving Mari’s idea that Isamu had certainly given a good fight before he had passed away. 

_Nothing extraordinary about these beakers… There’s not even any liquid besides the one that’s sitting on the desk._

* * *

**Obtained Truth Bullet: Glass Beaker Fragments.**

* * *

Taking a step further she noticed scratches across the door, come to think of it; his sword was nowhere to be found yet his bag had been tied around his feet. 

The wooden door had about three miscellaneous tears and all of varying sizes, wherever his sword was it had been used either to make a run for it or hurt the blackened in an attempt to save himself.

_Why didn’t you just run back to me…_

* * *

**Obtained Truth Bullet: Scratches on Door.**

* * *

“Hey Natsumi,” Takuya called out.

The blonde looked curiously up at the journalist who bent down and picked something up from the scene. Kasumi angrily told him to put whatever he had down, not wanting anyone to interfere with the investigation though the redhead ignored her cries. 

Takuya rolled his eyes before turning to Natsumi.

“I believe this belongs to you now.”

He held out his palm, a necklace cupped in his hands that Natsumi immediately recognised.

It had been the necklace their mother had given them when he won his first fencing competition. It was one of the few times that both of their parents had showed up to an event and weren’t swamped with work.

She remembered that day fondly and how the whole family had cheered him on and treated him like he was king of the world. He always had some kind of pent up embarrassment and laughter that emerged when he gripped his necklace throughout the years. 

Natsumi felt tears swell at the corner of her eyes, she closed them tight as she gripped the sterling silver necklace to her chest. She could feel the lock pendant at the front as she gave it a soft kiss, it would be the last thing she had of him after all.

"Thank you…" 

Takuya smiled faintly, "It was the right thing to do." 

* * *

**Obtained Truth Bullet: Necklace by feet.**

* * *

Natsumi turned, eyeing Riko who seemed fixated on a single spot near his body as the referee met eyes.

"Do you see his shoulders?" She asked as she crouched down and gently lowered his clothing to show Natsumi.

He indeed had marks all over his skin, deep ones as well, they looked like nothing more than a couple fingernails that had dug into his skin but this only further proves that he fought.

_They're so deep… whoever did this to my brother really tried not to lose…_

* * *

**Obtained Truth Bullet: Scratches on Shoulder.**

* * *

"Hey Riko, can I ask about what you remember before coming to the scene?" Natsumi asked carefully, not wanting to scare her away though to her surprise it made the referee jump to her feet.

"Anything to help the case!" 

_Geez, she really is a people pleaser._

Natsumi nodded, a nod of her head to signify she was ready to listen to whatever kind of account she had. Riko opened her mouth as she stretched her hands behind her back.

"You see, I mainly stayed in the cafeteria all night, I did see Isamu pass by here early on but that was a long time before the murder…" 

Natsumi sighed, unsatisfied.

"Anything else?" 

Riko put her chin in her hands, thinking before she seemed to have some kind of realisation boiling deep inside her.

"I did meet with Hiroto before I started to feel sleepy, we both got tired after we drank some of the sparkling water from the kitchen. I stayed up long as I could but I remember getting a bad headache." 

_Sleepy? After sparkling water…?_

"That's it however, sorry if I wasn't of much service to you," she frowned, bowing as if it was somehow all her fault. 

"No, no," Natsumi pleaded, "You did great, thanks again." 

* * *

**Obtained Truth Bullet: Riko's Account.**

* * *

Kasumi stayed right by the body, clearly not one to speak during these investigations though perhaps that was for the better before Natsumi strangled that smart-assed attitude of hers.

She stepped past, finding it hard to leave her brother's dear body. 

Natsumi turned on the light in the supply closet near where all the broken glass shreds had been scattered.

Nothing seemed quite of interest until she noticed a pill bottle to its side. Natsumi carefully picked it up, trying to read the sides as Kenji joined her inside.

"You find anything?" They asked, a hand running through their blonde hair as they looked over her shoulders, peaking over easily since they were a decent bit taller.

"Can you see the label anywhere?" She asked as the blonde took it and turned the bottle around before they looked at the bottom of the plastic package. 

"Tablets?" 

Natsumi perks up, grabbing onto their shoulders and standing on her tiptoes to try and read it for herself though she is unsuccessful with her lackluster eyesight. 

"It's melatonin tablets, it says they dissolve in water," Kenji added before they put the bottle where it had been sitting before.

"Melatonin?!" She shouts, grabbing the bottle again on instinct and carefully inspecting the label to confirm that they were indeed tablets that would dissolve and bubble in water. 

"So someone had a plan…" 

Kenji shivered. 

"I suppose so, they probably stumbled upon them when exploring to stay away and once they started to fall off the deep end they panicked and used them." 

They pointed to the bottle, opening it, revealing the clearly ripped piece of foil that usually kept it sealed. 

"See? It's open and clearly missing a few pills."

Natsumi groaned, "This just keeps getting more and more complicated." 

* * *

**Obtained Truth Bullet: Melatonin Tablets Bottle.**

* * *

"I have another piece of information to share with you as well," Kenji added, hands on their hips as Natsumi raised an eyebrow, curious. Anything that could possibly help with the trial to figure out her brother's killer was useful.

"Go ahead." 

Kenji sighed, "The door from the lab is locked actually, it's only the classroom that could open, it's why so many of us rushed in so late." 

Natsumi was taken aback.

"The lab was locked?" 

"From the outside it seems. Shiroi and I tried to open for a few minutes but we couldn't even bust it open, not like either of us were truly physically capable…" 

Natsumi sighed, growing more and more frustrated with how much the killer had been trying to cover the scene of her brother's body. 

"Did you see if any kind of material was on the lock to prevent it from opening?" 

Kenji nodded, nervously laughing.

"There was nothing…"

"What?!" Natsumi yelled, a bit too loud as she made the sculptor beside her jump. She apologised quickly, not trying to be so aggressive even if it was her brother they were talking about.

"There was really just—just nothing there? No substance, nothing on the floor?" 

"We don't know… Shiroi and I both looked immediately but it looked almost picture perfect. I think somehow they changed or picked it to where you can only open the door from inside." 

Natsumi frowned, "I guess that's the only possibility that really makes any bit of sense." 

* * *

**Obtained Truth Bullet: Locked Door.**

* * *

Natsumi left the science room as a whole, remembering that she had promised to see whatever Takuma had wanted to show her.

Rushing through the halls she had finally made it to where the toxicologist stood, giving a soft wave though a loud humph in response to seeing her.

"Took you long enough." 

Natsumi scoffed, "What did you even wanna show me?" 

The blonde stepped out of the way as Natsumi observed the scene in front of them both. Specs of the wall seemed torn off as two rusted nails and a pin, possibly from someone's clothing were right on the floor. 

"Huh?" 

Takuma laughed, "Right? This is some bullshit, me and Ayaka woke up and had injuries and cuts on our hand. I don't know if this was from the door or the killer set it up." 

Natsumi picked up one of the nails; they were all equally rusted and shared the same size. The pin on the other hand was still silver and looked almost brand new.

"I don't wanna dismiss it falling from the door, who knows how well kept this place is but if it was a set up—why you two specifically?" 

Takuma shrugged, "I'm not a detective but I can tell you when we both nodded off together that it hadn't been there, it feels like a set up." 

Natsumi didn't know how to respond to that.

_It was certainly odd though perhaps logically it was because they were close to the place of the crime and wanted to be made suspicious._

_Who even knows at this point…_

* * *

**Obtained Truth Bullet: Scene in Math Hallway.**

* * *

"Do you mind if I look at your wound?" 

Takuma grinned, holding out his arm to Natsumi. 

"You're welcome anytime to ask," he winked though the blonde beside him almost wanted to throw up on his shoes purposefully. 

"Drop it," the bodyguard warned as her eyes stayed firmly planted on his injury. His scar seemed a bit thinner than Ayaka's had but from his descriptions earlier it seemed like she had actually been pierced with it as opposed to a simple cut.

The cut was thin and already halfway healed having not been anything too serious as far as injuries were concerned. 

"Just wanted to see it, will you go check on Ayaka?" 

Takuma nodded, "No need to even ask, good luck finding stuff," he yelled before he bolted off in a hurry to find the nurse office that they had somewhere in this damn school.

_This is probably the weirdest mystery of them all._

* * *

**Obtained Truth Bullet: Takuma's Cut.**

* * *

Walking down the hallway Natsumi noticed Hiroto, alone, against the wall.

He was often alone and always seemed to be pondering but this felt different, perhaps the weight of someone, her own brother, dying that finally made the reality of the situation hit them all.

"What are you doing alone?" She asked, startling him as he clutched his chest and swallowed a shaky breath, clearly hiding something that he had been thinking about.

_His dad is probably still on his mind._

"I was honestly just thinking, didn't think I'd be much use to any of you guys when it came to investigating." 

Natsumi punched his shoulder lightly though he let out a faint groan, the blonde touching it delicately and muttering a brief apology as she leaned against the wall with him.

"I know that your talent is a mystery right now but that doesn't mean you can't help, your dad was the Ultimate Detective that definitely passed something on to you I bet." 

She watched the blue-haired boy's frown turn into a soft smile, it seemed to always be the key to getting him to open up, to talk about his father and detective talent. 

"You wanna help? Tell me what you remember before you fell asleep." 

Hiroto paused, gathering his thoughts for a brief moment as he began explaining everything important he had remembered.

"Well nothing much, I kind of was outside most of the time but I occasionally met with people like Riko or Takuma or Ayaka or Honoka even," he admitted shyly.

"I tried to stay near the gym where you found me, right near the classroom but I rotated between there and outside unless I needed to eat and get water," he added, trying not to sound completely boring. 

Natsumi became distracted once she noticed a slight piece of his lens missing from his glasses.

"What happened to your glasses?" 

Hiroto groaned, frustrated.

"I woke up and they were slightly broken, I probably fell asleep on them, it was all my own mistake probably, I promise no one punched me or anything like that." 

Natsumi snickered.

* * *

**Obtained Truth Bullet: Hiroto's Account.**

* * *

Just as they finished speaking another odd chime seemed to circulate throughout the building; the monitor sitting on the pole in front of them flashed once again with Monokuma's face.

_"Ahem! The investigation period has ended, are you excited?! The class trial is about to begin!"_

Natsumi felt her heart drop to their stomach. Hiroto visibly looked sick right beside her though their eyes were both transfixed on the screen as always.

_"Now, meet right outside the red door situated on the first floor, see you all soon!"_

A laugh spiralled from their headmaster, one that ran back and forth even after the screen had shut down. Hiroto gently tapped her arm to shake her out of it though the situation still didn't feel real.

Her brother had died, they had investigated but now they had to attend a class trial where they needed to fight for their own lives and find the culprit.

And this time, Natsumi had to face the person who had killed her brother.

The thought of any punishment, any kind of vengeance, it ran wild through her head, adrenaline pumping at the same time as anxiety seemed to replace any kind of blood flow in her body. 

"Natsumi…?" 

The blonde shut her eyes before holding up a hand to Hiroto who still stood behind her as her back was turned on him now.

"Let's go, I'm gonna find the person who did this to my brother and make sure we all live another day." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who done it? trial is next, love reading all the theories. tumblr is @pxkopxkoyama, comments are always muchmuch appreciated.


End file.
